Birds In My Ears, Devil On My Shoulder
by KingVSQueen
Summary: What's a crush to do, when she can't get through? Bechloe. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

Beca sighed heavily as she entered her dorm room. Pleasantly surprised to find it empty, she threw her bag onto her bed and turned on her laptop. It was Friday, and she was thankful for that. College seemed way more of a burden now that she was actually attending her classes, thanks to Chloe, that is. It had only been a short time since the bubbling red head had burst into her life (and shower, literally) but her life had changed dramatically since becoming part of the Barden Bellas and since Chloe had intruded her personal space.

It wasn't a secret that Beca had been crushing on Chloe, or maybe it was? Beca was pretty good at keeping everything to herself, but despite little comments from her fellow Bellas, Chloe was definitely not getting the hint…or maybe she was and just wasn't acting on it. Whatever the reasoning, Beca was completely content to have Chloe in her life. 'Friend zone is better than no zone' Beca told herself.

She pulled up her most recent mixes and started readying them for her overnight shift at the radio station. Just as she had started working, her phone went off, and from the peculiar text tone, she knew exactly who it was and smiled.

Chloe: Hey chick, what are you up to?

Beca: N2M, just mixing…per usual

Chloe: Take a break, let's get coffee?

Beca had just recently started working but she had this problem; she couldn't say no to anything Chloe asked of her. She bit her lip and shook her head.

Beca: Def, meet you at the cart in 10?

Chloe: Can't wait B, see you in a few!

And that's the thing about crushes, you're completely and hopelessly smitten and willing to drop everything in a hurry just to see or spend time with whoever has caught your heart. Beca closed her laptop, grabbed her jacket and keys, and headed out towards the quad to meet Chloe.****

As she walked and took in her surroundings, she couldn't help but be amused. If someone had told her a year ago that she would be attending college, the one her father works for at that, and joining some all girl acapella group, she probably would have laughed in their faces. Then again, her father's deal was too good to be true, try college for a year and if you don't like it, you can run off to LA, money in hand. Easy enough for someone like Beca, who had gotten through four years of High School the exact same way she was getting through this one mandatory year of college. She rounded the corner and started to make her way to the coffee cart when she saw Chloe approaching from the other side.

'God, she's so pretty' she thought to herself. That was the thing about Chloe Beale, she wasn't like other girls, I mean, she WAS, but she wasn't. She was always beautiful without trying. She always wore the right clothes, and the perfect amount of makeup. She was flawless, and never faltered. It was Beca's biggest attraction to her. That, and she was also the biggest sweetheart in the entire world.

"Hey, Becs!" She waved at Beca, flashing one of her signature smiles that made Beca melt inside. She returned the smile when suddenly she was pulled into a warm embrace.

"I've missed you!" She said as Beca tried to breathe

"Chlo, It's been like, less than 32 hours since I last saw you" Beca replied

"Whatever. That's a long time! I start having bad ass DJ withdrawals after only a few hours" She joked back. Beca smiled, she loved that Chloe found her obsession with music and being a DJ cool rather than odd.

"Well you're lucky I have so much time on my hands so that you can constantly get your fix of your favorite bad ass, DJ."

"Favorite? I don't remember saying 'favorite…'"  
"And with all that time on your hands, you BETTER be going to your classes!" She said, lightly slapping Beca's arm.

Beca let out a small chuckle and made a mental note to stop smiling so much, she probably looked like a goofball, more so than usual.

"Of course I'm going to class. You threatened my life, remember? That's enough to get anyone to do anything"  
"Oh shut up, it was only a butter knife"  
"But a knife none-the-less. I don't ever remember any of my other friends taking a knife to me and forcing me to do something"

"That's because your imaginary friends aren't as productive as I am" Chloe said matter of factly, ordering two coffees and swatting Beca's hand away as she tried to hand Chloe a few bucks. She handed Beca a coffee and turned back to get her change from the kid running the cart.

"You guys are adorable, how long have you been dating?" He asked

Beca raised her eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak but was thrown off by Chloe's outburst of laughter.  
"Too long man, too long." Beca said to the cashier as she shook her head and walked off with Chloe.

"Why does that always happen?" She asked Chloe after they took a few steps  
"Why do people always think we're a couple?"

"I have no idea, Becs." Chloe replied, still getting the laughter out of her system  
"But I'd rather it be you than anyone else."

Beca was more than satisfied with this answer as they sat down on the grass and drank their coffees.

"So what are your plans for tonight, anything fun?" Chloe asked

"Just working the overnight at the station…which for me is fun, soo, I'm stoked." Beca replied  
"What about you?"

Chloe sighed, pulling her up into a messy bun. One of her signature looks which Beca absolutely loved.

"Tom wants to go to some party, but honestly, I'm kind of over his friends and their parties. It's not fun, like the acapella parties. It gets tired, pretty quickly." She said  
"But, whatever. It's his night to choose, so it is what it is."

"I don't know how you do it" Beca said, wanting to kill herself for saying that aloud.

"Do what?" Chloe asked quizzically

"Uh, I mean…how do you stay in a relationship with someone when you're bored of them?" Beca asked, knowing there was nothing she could have said instead to get her out of this conversation.

"Well, for starters, it's not exactly a relationship. We're friends…with benefits. And we hangout sometimes too, like tonight" Chloe replied easily.

"Ah, now I understand. I can totally see the attraction now" She said sarcastically

Chloe giggled and shook her head  
"Well what's your type? Jesse?" She teased

"Oh yes, we are going to get married and have aca-babies together. Totally." She teased back  
"We're just really good friends." She clarified

"Uh-huh…" Chloe replied, definitely not sounding convinced at all

"I'm serious. We just have fun, and have A LOT in common." Beca said, trying to stress the last part.

'Like, we're both into chicks' she so badly wanted to say.

Everybody thought her and Jesse were a thing, or were going to be a thing. He had most recently confessed his true feelings for her and she had set the record straight by explaining that she was not, in fact, straight, which he was totally cool with, but equally bummed at the same time. Hey, it happens…there's always going to be at least one guy who can't pick up the les-be-honest vibe and try to go for it. Jesse was a sweet guy and had become a really good friend, she felt terrible about "breaking his heart" even though she wasn't so sure what he exactly liked about her. She didn't really think she was special, or had any redeeming qualities that anybody would want in someone. He had become like a brother to her, and since coming out, he had become her wing man whenever they went out.

They spent the next couple of hours drinking coffee and just talking endlessly about the most unusual things. Of course they touched upon the Bellas and how much of a control freak Aubrey was with everything.

"I feel like if she knew how good you were with music and mixing, she'd totally welcome your ideas." Chloe said placing a hand on the younger girls shoulder. She shuddered slightly from the contact.

"Good? There's got to be a better word in your gigantic vocabulary Chlo. Like, how about, amazing? I'll even accept 'aca-amazing' at that." Beca replied

"So cocky Becca Mitchell, so undeniably cocky!" Chloe mused. She looked down at her phone  
"Ugh, speaking of Aubrey. I have to go meet her. Official Bellas business. She's stressing about the semi-finals."

"Well she should be, our routine could use a generational makeover." Beca said

Chloe raised her hand, pretending to hit her.

"Ah! Okay, sorry. I meant, go tell her to relax, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"I hope so." Chloe said standing up while putting out her hands to lift Becca up as well. Beca felt her heart skip as Chloe grabbed her hands, pulled her up close to her, and hugged her.

"Again, with the hugs.." Beca mumbled.

"You love it." Chloe replied smugly as she pulled away  
"And I love our coffee dates."

Beca smiled at her. Dates. Yes, that's certainly what these were.

"I'll see you later, Chlo. Remember to listen tonight, that is, if you're not too wasted with your cool friends" Beca teased

"I always listen!" Chlo replied, before wandering off to go meet Aubrey.

Beca couldn't help but watch as Chloe walked away…every part of her was simply stunning, you can't blame a girl for checking out her ass. She smiled as she turned and walked back to her dorm.

Yup, she definitely had it bad. She knew this already. She also knew they called it a crush for a certain reason; it always hurts.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, so, so sorry for waiting a week to update! I have no excuses, I know how much it sucks to have to wait for fanfic updates. I promise I will be quicker with them! And thanks for the reviews, they're greatly appreciated and encouraged!**

Beca arrived at the station slightly early and prepared the first few cuts for her shift. Luke stepped out of the booth after queuing up his last selections and bidding Barden listeners a farewell for the night.

"You all good here, Becky?" He asked, grabbing his bag and heading for the door.

"Yeah, I'm all set." She replied. He handed her the keys and took off.

Beca had most recently begun spinning the night shift after Luke had actually listened to her mixes. Luke explained that since he had been there, no freshman had ever been allowed to spin and that he was thoroughly impressed with her work. She took pride in this, knowing that music was the only thing she really put any effort into or cared about and it always felt good to know she was good at something at least.

She put her headphones on as Luke's playlist came to an end and casually introduced herself on air. She didn't like talking much in-between songs or on the air for that matter, she really preferred to let the songs she selected speak for her.

The first couple hours of her shift passed fairly quickly and when she wasn't queuing up songs or searching through the online catalog, she immersed herself in her most current mix project. As she was playing the advertisement tracks, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She glanced at the clock, noting the time, and pulled it out.

Chloe: Would you kill me if I called up and requested Limp Bizkit? ; )

Beca smiled as she read it. She shared her disdain of Limp Bizkit and anything Fred Durst related with Chloe one of the very first times they hung out. Chloe hadn't been like everyone else, asking her what she liked to listen to, instead she had asked her what she couldn't possibly stand. Absolutely under no circumstances would she ever give that band, or any country song, the light of day during her shift.

Beca: I'd only kill you if you seriously wanted to hear it…and if you ever started wearing a stupid, red, New York Yankees hat =p

Chloe: Easy there! I come bearing gifts, so open uppp

Beca cocked her head to the door and heard a faint knocking sound. She quickly straightened out her outfit and pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up before opening the door and revealing a smiling ginger.

"Worship me DJ Mitchell, for I have brought you coffee, just the way you like it" Chloe said excitedly, holding out tray for the younger girl to take.

"Chloe Beale, you truly are a goddess!" Beca praised, grabbing one of the coffees and savoring it.  
"Also, why are you here?"

"Wow, the worshiping lasted all of 5 seconds this time. I think I'm breaking through." Chloe said teasingly. She shrugged her shoulders and sat down at the table.

"The party was totally lame, and Tom got annoyingly drunk pretty quick, so I went to my car and ended up listening to you and since I wasn't tired, I decided to be an awesome friend and come visit you."

"Well, as much as that sounds like a sucky night, I'm glad you ended up here." Beca said with a smile as she sat next to Chloe.

"Um. Shouldn't you be, like, Djing?" The ginger asked, slightly confused. Beca let out a slight chuckle.

"I can queue up to seven songs at a time. And you know I've had these selections picked out all week…I mostly just work on other mixes and go through the stash of records while I'm here." Beca answered

Chloe nodded, sipping her coffee  
"So you're not going to get busted for me visiting you, right?" She asked

"I really don't think so. Luke probably wouldn't mind that I had a pretty girl hanging out in the booth all night" Beca replied, blushing and mentally kicking herself for letting that one slip out.

"It pays to be pretty!" Chloe replied with a wink, not missing a beat.

_'You have no idea'_ Beca thought

"Oh, before I forget" Beca began, reaching into her bag  
"I made this for you." She said, sheepishly extending her hand to Chloe

"Is this one of those famous Beca Mitchell mix cd's!?" Chloe asked with excitement

"Famous? I wouldn't say that…perfect, might be the word you wanted there, Chlo." Beca replied with a grin. She watched as Chloe opened the case and examined it, as if she had just been given a brand new car.

"This means a lot to me Beca. Thank you!" She said, leaping up and pulling Beca into a tight embrace.

Of course Beca had to double check her breathing. Chloe's touch had somewhat of a gnarly effect on her, it made her tense and relax at the same time. It was a sensation that she had never felt before, and that's how she knew Chloe was different and that what she felt was something much more intense than friendship, or a simple "girl crush."

"You might want to listen to it before you thank me, but, you're welcome" Beca choked out, pretending to be offended by Chloe's invasion of her personal space when in reality, it's all she ever really wanted.

"So are you ready for the riff-off tomorrow night?" Chloe asked anxiously as she pulled away  
"It's the highlight of the aca-year…well, besides the ICCAs, obviously" She added.

"Uh, yeah, I guess? Jesse was talking about it before, what is it exactly?" Beca asked

"Oh, you'll see little one." Chloe replied mischievously with one of her signature winks.

'Okay if she winks again, I swear to God I will jump her bones right here and now'

"I'm going to let you get back to all the anxious late night listeners that Barden offers, but text me tomorrow when you wake up…we should do something if you don't have too much homework, that is." Chloe said, with an added emphasis on the last part which was to be taken as a warning to Beca that she better be keeping up with her classes.

Beca rolled her eyes  
"I'm sure I can squeeze you into my day somehow" Beca teased.

Chloe smiled and turned to leave, suddenly whipping around as if she had forgotten something important  
"There's no Ace of Base on here, right?" She asked

Beca just laughed and shook her head.  
"Sadly, no. It just didn't make the cut…even though I know how much you like to 'see the sign'" She teased.

"You're too much for me, Mitchell" Chloe said with laughter as she left the station.

'No, I'm pretty sure you're too much for me, Beale.' She mused to herself, still hung up in Chloe's laugh, scent, and embrace.

The next day, bright and early (well, 10am, which by any normal person's standards should be considered bright and early) Beca awoke to a few texts and a missed call. Browsing her phone sleepily, the drowsiness turned to pure excitement when she saw that Chloe had texted her asking her about the rest of her shift and if she wanted to meet up at some point during the day before the riff off. She couldn't even lie and deny that she enjoyed all of the attention Chloe had been giving her since she had started school in the fall. As much as Beca pushed people away and as many reasons she had to do so, it seemed to be 100% different when it came to her friendship with Chloe, and that was definitely something she had never expected, especially from this experience. Jesse had also texted her, begging for some of her free time as well. And the missed call had come from her father, to which she rolled her eyes at and made a mental note to not get back to him anytime soon. The very thought of him killed her positive vibe, and the ever so bitter Beca would deny it outright if anyone had ever asked her, but she enjoyed the residual happiness that Chloe had been inflicting on her.

Without even hesitating she sent Chloe a text back. It was so refreshing for once in her life to not have to think about everything she planned to say to someone, even if at times she embarrassed herself, it was a good feeling to know that she finally had a friendship that came naturally, even if it wasn't only a friendship in her eyes.

Beca: The rest of my shift draaagged after you left, I Just woke up…your 8:30 text didn't even faze me. How in the hell are you up that early on a Saturday?

Chloe: It's all those early classes, I can't sleep in no matter how hard I try anymore = ( anyways what are you up to for the day?

Beca: You poor girl! I can't even function before 10. Since we have that stupid riff-off or whatever tonight, I was planning on heading to the library in a bit to do some of this homework that these Profs seem to always talk about…care to join?

Chloe: It's not stupid, it's soo much fun! And of course, I'd love to study date with you…meet you in an hour?

Beca: Sounds dope, see you then.

As much as Beca didn't want to spend the better part of the day studying, she knew she was probably scoring some serious brownie points with Chloe by buckling down on her school work, and now as an added bonus, she got to spend time with the cute ginger. Sounds dope, indeed.

After getting ready, Beca made the trek across campus to the library, mentally cursing herself for not stopping and grabbing a coffee even though the library had a strict no-food/drink policy. Once arriving she spread her books out and anxiously waited for Chloe to arrive. Just a few minutes later, Chloe texted her.

Chloe: What's your location?

Beca: 2nd floor, all the way in the back corner.

Chloe appeared moments later, holding coffees.

"I had to sneak these in so that's why I was being discreet" She announced, handing a coffee to Beca, who accepted it quite graciously.

"Dare I say my bad ass habits are rubbing off on you Beale?" Beca quipped

"And dare I say my studiousness has been rubbing off on you, DJ?" She retorted as she motioned to Beca's studying materials all sprawled out. Beca just smiled as she shook her head and took a long sip of her coffee, thankful that Chloe had gotten it just right.

"I can't believe you got my coffee right, I don't think I've ever had a friend who was able to remember it…or cared to." Beca said

Chloe chuckled. "It's not that hard Becs, light and sweet, just. Like. You!" she said, reaching over and tapping Beca's nose lightly with her pen. Beca scrunched her face and turned away, blushing.

"Personal space, Chlo, personal space" She wise cracked.

The pair worked pretty diligently for an hour or so until Beca found herself staring at the red head. She was simply breath taking; dark blue eyes, the most gorgeous lips anyone had ever seen, and strawberry locks that were angled in all the right ways. She was suddenly pulled out of her daze by Chloe's sweet voice.

"Uh, Becs, you're not going to get that assignment done if you keep staring at me." She smiled, keeping her eyes down on her work. Beca hated being called out on such an embarrassing thing because staring was so not like her.

"I wasn't admiring your beauty" She quickly scoffed, slightly red in the face  
"I was just sorta wondering….how we're even friends"

"What?" Chloe asked, looking up at Beca.  
"What does that mean?"

"I mean, we're just…super opposite. And you're a senior and everything. I don't know, I guess it's just a little odd to me." She replied

"What, do you have a thing against old people?" She joked  
"And besides, we're not THAT different you know…we actually have a lot in common."

"Like what, exactly?" Beca asked. She already knew they did, but hearing Chloe say it was something entirely different.

"We're both Bellas, so we're automatically connected for life. We're both sarcastic, we both like music, and we're both crazy about coffee." She replied

"True…" Beca stated.

"And we just click. I think it makes perfectly good sense that we're friends." Chloe said, smiling at Beca widely.  
"Don't you agree?"

"Well, when you put it like that. I guess it does make sense." Beca said, beaming with confidence.

"Yeah, it's pretty dope." Chloe jokingly said, teasing Beca for her unique lingo.

Beca let out a genuine laugh. As opposite as they really did seem to be from one another, Chloe was right. They did click.

"It is dope!" She said before continuing her work.

'_You're falling fast and hard, Becs. Better prepare for a bumpy landing…there's no way this can continue this smoothly for much longer'_


	3. Chapter 3

As retarded as it sounded, the riff-off was actually something Beca found herself capable of getting into. See, this was the very thing Beca loved about music; spontaneity.

After a few wack songs and the High Notes being cut off for being too, well, _high, _Beca found herself rolling her eyes as Jesse mock serenaded her with Foreigner's "Feels like the First Time." Jesse loved all those classic rock songs and she couldn't help but laugh at his goofy smile and awkward dance moves. Suddenly, it dawned on her of what she could do to make Jesse shut up. She ran to the center of the pool and got right in his face.

"It's goin' down, fade to blackstreet, the homies got RB collab' creations, bump like acne, no doubt.." She rapped effortlessly as she noticed the expressions on mostly everyone's faces drop and heard sounds of encouragement from onlookers above.

She kept rapping as she turned around, looking to the Bellas for some back up, but slowly realized they definitely didn't know what the fuck she was singing.

"Keep going" Jesse whispered encouragingly.

"Shorty get down, good lord, baby got em' up open all over town…" She sang smoothly as she noticed Fat Amy coming up on her right to join her  
"Strictly biz, she don't play around, cover much ground, got game by the pound!"

Finally the Bellas kicked in and started backing her up in full force and it eventually turned into a pool wide sing along of "No Diggity." Beca looked around in amazement. She had done this. She had revived an old jam and got everyone in sight to sing along. It was a remarkable sight. The best part of it all was seeing Chloe swaying and singing with sultry eyes and a sexy grin that Beca could of sworn was aimed at her.

After Aubrey had lectured them on losing, along with totally ignoring Beca's comment, the group dispersed and she felt an arm snake around hers.

"Becs, that was amazing! How come you never told me you could rap?!" Chloe asked as she pulled Beca closer.

'Really? That's all I had to do to get her to touch me? Go figure' Beca thought

"You never asked me if I could rap Chlo. Am I supposed to just run up to you and tell you random facts about myself every chance I get?" She asked with a sly smile.

"Actually, I'd prefer that since getting anything at all about yourself out of you is like brain surgery." She replied

"Please, I'm not _that_ bad," Beca began as she received a look from Chloe.  
"Okay, maybe I am. But find something else to compare it to. After you made me suffer through all of that Grey's Anatomy, I've decided brain surgery isn't actually all that hard."

"If I ever need brain surgery, you are NOT performing it" She teased with a chuckle.  
"I'm serious, you're really something else Becs"

Beca could feel her cheeks getting warm from her blush and shook it off quickly.

"Are you going to the after party at the Treble house?" Beca asked. Chloe raised her eyebrow at this.  
"What? Don't give me that look."

"I thought you hated parties! You always decline when we try to get you to go to one." Chloe replied

"Well, yeah. I don't know…it could be fun. Jesse wants me to DJ which is actually the only reason I agreed to go, but geez, could you make me sound any more anti-fun?"

"Oh you're fun…. Fun-sized!" Chloe said as she jumped onto Beca's back, piggy-back style.  
"C'mon! Let's go to the partyyyy!" Chloe shouted as she threw one hand into the air.

Beca realized right then and there that she had never felt quite as right as she did when she had Chloe's arms around her neck.

The party was about as cliché and stereotypical as it could get, but for once Beca didn't mind any of that. She actually enjoyed socializing with the other acapella groups, but above all, she loved controlling the music that everyone was partying to. She could always sense the mood and find the perfect song for it, be it current or old, each song just seemed to flow so well when she was handling it.

"Hey, loser!" A voice greeted her from behind. She turned to see Jesse, wearing a pompous smile, and holding out a drink towards her. Jesse was obviously a little drunk himself.

"Hey, asshole" She said casually as she accepted the drink and took a sip.  
"You do know that you won on a technicality, right?"

"Well, well. Look who's suddenly competitive and defensive of their beloved acapella group." Jesse teased

"I'm just saying it for the record. I'm still mostly doing this so my dad will help me get set up in LA next year."

"Uh huh.." Jesse replied, obviously not convinced  
"Well, here comes that other reason that you're doing all this for" He said, winking and swiftly making an exit. Beca raised her eyebrow at him and then saw Chloe making her way over to where Beca was DJing. She quickly chugged some of her drink and tried to make herself look busy and not distracted by Chloe's presence, because let's face it, looking pre-occupied totally makes you seem cool, right? Right.

Except Beca couldn't quite keep her composure whenever Chloe was around and the second she heard her sweet alcohol infused voice, she couldn't help but crack a goofy side grin.

"Um, excuse me, miss DJ...I have a request!" Chloe, getting right up in Beca's business, per usual.

"I told you Red, no Limp Bizkit…ever" Beca said as she sipped her drink and toyed with some settings on her turn table.

"No, no, THIS is even better." Chloe half slurred

'God she is so fucking adorable when she's tipsy' Beca thought

"Okay, lay it on me, what awful pop song do you want me to play so that your night is made?" Beca asked with an amused smile. Their banter had to be her favorite part of talking to Chloe. Well, that, and staring at her chest. She had an amazing body, and Beca wasn't normally the type to obsess over looks, she was definitely way more into personality, but Chloe had the perfect combination of both and that drove her absolutely wild.

"I want to hear one of the songs you put on my CD...I think it's number 8" Chloe said

"You listened to it already?" Beca asked

"Uh, duh. What else did you think I was going to do with it?" Chloe asked

"Right, of course. I don't know why I just said that…" Beca replied, slightly embarrassed

"It's probably because you're actually drinking!" Chloe said, pointing to the cup in Beca's hand  
"What are you drinking, exactly?" She reached over and grabbed Beca's cup and took a huge swig.

"Wow, whiskey? That explains so much about you..." Chloe said, handing the cup back to Beca

"I don't even want to know what you mean by that."

"No, you really don't" Chloe replied with a wink  
"C'mon, play my song!" she whined as Beca was once again brought back to reality after containing the urge to lose her shit over Chloe winking at her once again

"Chill out, Beale, let me ready the track" She replied as she tried to focus on her set up with Chloe right in face.

Chloe squealed with excitement as "Harlem" by New Politics began to blast through the speakers. Chloe began to dance and seemed to cause an infectious reaction because mostly everyone else at the party began to join in. Beca was even surprised to see Aubrey getting down with the rest of Bellas and Trebles and laughed as she realized that she too was drunk.

"I fuckin love this song!" Chloe yelled into Beca's ear as she came back over from dancing. Beca knew she'd absolutely love it, hence the reason she put it on the CD she made for her. She liked knowing that about Chloe…little things. Mostly she enjoyed how much music brought them closer, and how surprised she was to find out that Chloe wasn't just into bubbly pop, but that she loved indie rock and electronic. Biggest turn on ever.

"I need another drink" Beca said as she motioned for Chloe to come with her. They quickly made their way to the kitchen through the crowd of people and over to the huge display of liquor.

"You're so awesome at Djing Becs, I've never seen everyone stop what they were doing at a house party and just start dancing" She complimented while Beca made another, slightly stronger, drink.

"Honestly, it's easy…if you know music, and you can read a crowd, it just comes sort of naturally" Beca replied  
"But yeah, I am fucking awesome at it" She said grinning as she took a sip if her drink. Chloe rolled her eyes sarcastically at Beca's egotistical comment.

"You should show me the basics sometime, I'd like to know how it's all done" Chloe replied

"Really? You're actually interested in it?" Beca asked

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't." Chloe said matter of factly.

"Well, I'll definitely show you a few things…that is, if I can find time in my rigorous academic schedule." Beca said

"Sounds _DOPE!_" Chloe exclaimed with the most adorable laugh as she again made fun of Beca's way of speaking.

"Chloe! Here you are! You have to come to the garage, we're playing beer pong! It's Adam and myself and you and Tom, we're playing next!" Aubrey shouted as she drunkenly emerged and pulled Chloe out of the kitchen with her.

Chloe laughed at the state of her best friend, "I'll see you later Becs!" She exclaimed as she tailed behind Aubrey.  
Of course it had to be Aubrey of all people who had come and stole Chloe away from Beca.

'I hate that bitch even more now' Beca thought to herself as she downed the rest of her drink in the spirit of defeat and decided to go find Jesse.

"Well, at least she didn't leave" Jesse said. She had found him in the basement playing video games with a few of the other Trebles and casually pulled him aside to bitch and moan. She loved that they had been able to get over the awkwardness and just move on as really good friends. He was the only one who even knew her true feelings about Chloe and obviously the only person she could talk to about it at all.

"No. She didn't. She just ran off to go play couples beer pong with Aubrey" she scoffed

Jesse sighed and shrugged his shoulders.  
"Isn't there a golden rule about not getting involved with straight girls, like ever?" He asked

"Yes, dude, I know all that. I can't help that I like her and better yet, it's reaching like this borderline obsession. I want to throw myself off of a bridge for the way I'm acting."

"Just tell her how you feel. That's truly the only thing you can really do about all this…frustration, Bec" He told her.

She just winced at him and shook her head.

"That's _so gay_." She responded shaking her head with a laugh.  
"Anyways, I'm gonna pack up and split. I'm all set on this night" She said, slightly disappointed.

"Let me just grab my jacket and I'll walk you home." Jesse replied. Beca nodded and headed upstairs to grab her stuff.

Beca wasn't sure what exactly she was expecting to come from the night, but she did know she was far more frustrated than ever before. She wasn't mad at Chloe, she wasn't mad at herself, and she wasn't even really mad at Aubrey. She was mad at the universe for dangling the most perfect girl in front of her, knowing that she could never really have her. The more time she spent with Chloe, the more her crush intensified, which at the rate they were hanging out, was not good. She knew, however, that if she didn't hang out with Chloe, she would be far more miserable. So yes, here she was, back at square one, cursing herself and the god damn friend's zone.

What's a crush to do when she can't get through?


	4. Chapter 4

As mysterious and closed off as Beca tried to make herself seem, she really wasn't all that difficult to get. At least she thought so, anyways. The walls around her life and heart were just the reaction to watching her parents live their lives miserably while forcing an emotion that they just didn't have for each other anymore. So when their love came crashing down, she decided that she'd be smarter than them. She would get it right, and to do so, she would make it impossible for people who weren't legit to break through. Hence all the pushing and running away when any sort of barrier was breached by someone she couldn't think of letting in. It's just easier to not be social and not get too close with people…that way there's no risk at getting hurt for no reason.

Beca stared at the empty track on her laptop. She had been sitting at her desk for hours, trying to work on a mix but nothing was working, she kept coming back to square one and drawing a blank. It's not like writers block, where the words just can't form, it's much worse when you're a musician. The music is already there, all you have to do is fit the pieces and use your emotions, but today, for some reason, Beca felt somewhat emotionless. Maybe she was just drained from the previous night's happenings and the many hours she spent lying awake in her bed just over thinking anything and everything. It was all Chloe centric, of course, and by the time she fell asleep, nothing was resolved.

Being in love with a straight girl was stupid; it is the dumbest thing you could ever do because it's not going to go anywhere. The closest you will ever get is being the 'best friend' and that's the worst, because you're there for EVERYTHING, including the nights when her heart is crushed over some jerk who doesn't give a fuck about anything but himself and even then all you can do is lie to her as she cries over the asshole on your shoulder. Yes, Beca knew this role entirely too well because she had fallen into it more times than she would like, yet she still couldn't seem to cut off her closeness with Chloe as she had done the others.

She decided she would just have to buckle down and do it, it's for the best right? The loneliness would pass, it always does. And so she put her plan to action; avoid, avoid, avoid.

She opened her itunes and absentmindedly hit shuffle as "She Doesn't Get It" by The Format started to play.

"Fuck my life." Beca mumbled

Beca successfully avoided Chloe for the next four days, which was a miracle in itself since she hadn't gone more than a day practically without seeing her since they first met. All texts and calls had been ignored and she strategically stayed away from any and all spots in which she would run into Chloe, which meant everywhere but the dorm and the radio station. She even went so far as to tell Aubrey she was sick and couldn't make Bella's rehearsal.

"Mitchell, if we lose I am going to murder you! Semi-Finals are in a week and your bullshit is not appreciated, everyone is working twice as hard and here you are, slacking off!" Aubrey reamed her out over the phone. She had expected as much, but it was actually funnier than she thought too.

"Aubrey, it's one practice. I've been throwing up non-stop! I know you know what that's like…" Beca reasoned, while simultaneously insulting Aubrey. Was she good, or was she good?

"Ugh, fine. Get your shit together because you better be prepared and don't you dare miss another practice!" Aubrey ranted before hanging up.

Beca thought about attempting to mix, but decided against it since she was in the middle of a mental block. Although she wasn't up for talking much, she figured she should give Jesse a call and see what he was up to. Since she had been hanging out with Chloe so much, she had been spending less time with Jesse, which was fine because he totally understood but at the same time, she felt bad that the only time they really hung out anymore was at the radio station.

"Becaaww! What's up?" Jesse said, answering after only a few rings

"Nothing, I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out, since it's been a while and all."

"Wow, you actually have time for me? I'm shocked!"

"Don't be an ass," She warned  
"I know it's been a little while, but I really want to chill, I've missed you."

"The feeling is mutual. Hey, this isn't an attempt to snoop out the Treble's semi-finals routine is it? Because you're not getting nada"

"No, way! Honestly, fuck acapella right now"

"Whoa, what's that all about?" He questioned

"Ugh, nothing. Do you want to meet me at Brewed Awakenings in 30?" She asked

"Yeah that sounds decent. I'll see you in a bit"

"Word."

She hung up the phone, threw her headphones on and began to walk to the campus coffeehouse, taking the long way of course to avoid any possible Bella interaction since she was "sick" after all. She entered the coffee house surprised to see that Jesse was already there and had ordered her an iced coffee already.

"We didn't get to talk too much at the party but, how have you been?" Jesse asked as she approached, handing her the coffee as she took a seat.

"Pretty stressed but I guess that's just…jesus Christ, what is in this!?" She said making a face after taking a sip of the coffee.

"You don't take it extra, extra?" He asked

"What the fuck, no! If I wanted to drink straight cream and sugar, maybe, but the whole point of getting a coffee is to have coffee" She replied

He laughed at her reaction and grabbed the coffee. "Right, I'll go fix it…so black?" He asked with a very unsure look on his face

"Just a bit of skim, nothing else" She clarified.

Jesse returned moments later and handed her the coffee

"So what's up, why are you so stressed? And why the sudden hate on acapella? I thought you were enjoying everything…everyone" He said, putting emphasis on the last part.

"It's Chloe. Chloe is fucking up everything" She said with an exasperated sigh.

"What? How so?.." He questioned

"It just sucks. I have this massive crush on her, I can even go as far as to say I am in love with her and being around her and watching her go about her life and her excursions with Tom hasn't exactly been easy and then on top of that she made me all studious so now I'm actually worried about my grades and if she does one more nice thing for me, I swear I am going to explode!" She ranted  
"So I've been avoiding her for days and trying to get myself not to care at all but it's made things worse and has even affected my music, I haven't been able to mix for the past 2 days."

"What? You're avoiding her? That doesn't sound right at all. Look, Becs, maybe you should just tell her how you feel…" Jesse began while Beca just gave him an evil glare.  
"Okay, or not. But, this isn't going to just disappear in a few days, and you can't avoid her forever. You either need to get under her or get over her."

"Really? That's the best advice you can give me?" She asked, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.  
"I hate this. I hate myself for this" She lamented

"Look I'm speaking from experience. Experience with YOU, I might add. After you turned me down, I was super bummed, but I eventually got over it. It took some damn time but it wasn't the most impossible thing in the world Becs, if you're not going to act on it…find someone else to better occupy your time with because stressing yourself out over something that isn't even happening is going to drive you mad." He advised.  
"And honestly, friendship above all is most important. Chloe is a good friend, your best friend, and it's better to have her there for you then have no one. You know I don't need to even tell you that."

She sipped her coffee as his words hit her. She knew he was right, but it still sucked.

"It gets easier with time." He added

"I hate when people say that." She replied

"Well, let's be honest, you pretty much hate EVERYTHING." He said with a laugh

She smiled and shook her head.

"C'mon Becs, cheer up! Let's go do something and get your head a little cleared." Jesse said

They left the coffee shop, and campus for that matter, and headed downtown. They popped in and out of a few shops, including a record store where Beca grabbed a few used versions of some albums she didn't have yet. She was actually thankful that Jesse had convinced her to go do something and leave campus for a bit. She enjoyed Jesse's company more than she had previously known she did and loved that they could go CD shopping and talk about girls. Suddenly he grabbed her hand and pulled her down a side street.

"Uh, Jess, where are we going?" She asked as she hesitantly let him pull her in a random direction

"Oh you'll see." He replied with a sly smile. They turned the corner and as she looked up, she saw the sign to a dive bar, rumored to not card.

"Bar One? You're bringing me to a bar?" She asked

"Listen, you're stressed. Let's have some drinks and get you to relax. I bet you'll even be able to mix after." He reasoned

"Well, for my music's sake, I guess…" She said as they entered the bar.

After a couple of Jack and Cokes, and a few beers later, Jesse deemed her "Small and Smashed" and decided they should head back to campus.

"Seriously, Aubrey's taste is SO lame" Beca slurred as Jesse held her hand and guided her back to her dorm. He laughed at her inability to hold her liquor, and her words, and was having fun egging on her rants.

"Why's that?" He asked

"Cheesy pop one hit wonders, it's like homegirl has never heard an alt song in her life!" Beca exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air.  
"And even though Chloe is co-captain she gets no say and neither does anyone else. It's like singing and dancing for Hitler and I'm so sick of it. I want to quit."

"I'm sure everyone would be very upset if you quit, and you have that deal with your dad, remember?" He reminded her.

"No shit. I said I wanted to quit, not that I was gonna, DUH!" Beca said

They stopped when they arrived at Baker Hall and Jesse looked at his watch.

"Alright Becs, I gotta head to the station, are you all good to make it upstairs alone?" He asked

"I'm fiiiine." She said waving him off  
"Thanks for taking me out, I had fun" She hiccupped

He laughed and pulled her into a small hug. He was surprised when she returned it with a strong embrace.

"No problem…just try to relax and not think so much. Everything will work out" He reassured

She gave him a salute and waved as he hurried off to his shift. She glanced to her left and noticed someone smoking a cigarette.

_'well why the fuck not?'_ she decided in her head as she approached the girl.

"Hey, uh, do you mind if I bum one?" She asked the stranger

"Yeah no problem, hope you don't mind reds." The girl said with a slight smile as she lit one and gave it to Beca

"Oh I don't." Beca replied, not even sure of what the girl meant.  
"Thanks." She said as she took the cigarette and walked over to the corner of the building. She inhaled deeply and let out a huge drag. She didn't smoke regularly but every once in a while, especially after drinking, a cigarette just felt so good.

"Beca!?" She heard a surprised voice call her name. She whipped around and saw a blurb of fiery red hair approaching.

_'Fuuckkk'_ she mentally cursed at herself. Of course Chloe had to find her in this exact state right now. Her luck wasn't really on point these days.

"Heyyy." She let out with a lazy wave

"What's been going on? I've called you and texted you a few times and I was super worried when you didn't come to practice. Are you okay?" Chloe asked alarmed as she got close to Beca.

"I've just been…around? And super busy." She slurred out, leaning back against the building and taking a short drag of her cigarette.

Chloe crossed her arms as her eyes narrowed at Beca's.

"Are you drunk right now?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she watched Beca struggle to remain balanced.

"Bitch, I might be." She replied sarcastically as she grinned at Chloe

Chloe shook her head.  
"Well I came to check on you because you know semi-finals are in a week and we're all working really hard and I wanted to make sure you weren't dying or anything, I was super worried, but now.." Chloe began

"Look I don't need a lecture from you" Beca snapped  
"I've got shit going on and Jesse took me out to try and help me relax, not that it's really any of your business.."

"I'm captain of the Bellas and you missing practice is my business…" Chloe said

"Co-captain. You're a co-captain." Beca said, cutting her off.

"What's up with this attitude? Are you mad at me for something?" Chloe asked, with a worried look on her face.

Beca didn't know how to respond.

_'Yes, I'm fucking furious with you. You made me fall in love with you…you've been way too nice…you've invaded my space, and my life and now I can't think straight (ha!) or do anything without your presence overbearing my mind so yeah, fuck you.'_

"I'm fine." Was all Beca said

"You know if you want to, you can always talk to me. About anything." Chloe said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  
Beca immediately shrugged it off.

"You know I hate talking, Chlo." Was all she could think to say. Spilling her guts while drunk? Even Beca knew better than to do something that stupid.

Chloe grabbed the cigarette from Beca's mouth and took a drag.

"You might think you're all bad ass and that not talking is cool, but it's a very lonely way to live your life Becs," Chloe began as she exhaled  
"And you can be a bitch to me all you want but, I'm not going anywhere, I'm not gonna stop caring or checking in on you so do whatever you want. I hope for your sake, you open up a bit and don't cause yourself anymore stress that you feel the need to get drunk at 3 in the afternoon."

Beca opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it tight.

_'I am bad ass, bitch'_

"I guess I'll see you at practice tomorrow, 9am…sharp." Chloe said sternly.

Chloe looked down at the cigarette before handing it back to Beca.

"Yuck, reds. Try Camels, more flavor." She said. And with that final comment she was gone.

Beca didn't like being rude to Chloe at all. Maybe it was the alcohol, or even her usual theory of pushing someone away by being cold, but Chloe said she wasn't going anywhere and wasn't going to stop caring like she meant it.

She wanted to believe it, but Beca knew better. People always leave.


	5. Chapter 5

Beca awoke the next morning feeling tired and irritated. She wasn't hung over, it was reduced to what she referred to as a "lean over," meaning it was just enough to still make her feel groggy without the nausea of a regular hangover. Sitting up, she narrowed her eyes to her Iphone on her nightstand and glanced at the time. It was 10 minutes of nine.

'Bella's practice, shit!' She remembered as she lunged out of bed and quickly and ran over to her closet and grabbed a pair of dark skinny jeans and a v-neck donning the name of one of her favorite bands. She hurriedly threw them on, grabbed her bag, and walked briskly out the door and made her way to the auditorium where Aubrey was already ranting about Bella's business, mainly not straying from tradition, and all that business. Beca took her seat in the back, hoping not to draw any attention, but of course, Aubrey wasn't going to let that happen.

"SO nice of you to join us Beca." She hissed. "You know that 10 minutes late means 10 minutes of cardio, hit the steps!"

Beca sighed and rubbed her temples, opening her mouth to speak but she was cut off before she could get a sound out.

"Bree, let her be. She's been sick." Chloe said, coming to her defense and shooting her a defensive look.

"Chloe, nobody gets special treatment. This is serious business. If she doesn't want to do it, she can leave. Right now." Aubrey replied sternly.

Chloe was about to speak again, getting even more defensive.

"It's fine. I'll do it." Beca chimed in through clenched teeth. If there was one person she'd love to hit without any consequences, it would most definitely be Aubrey. After her last incident of punching someone didn't end well, she decided she'd let karma dish out the consequences in the future.

After Beca finished her bull shit cardio, she joined Cynthia Rose, Fat Amy, and Stacie to work on better perfecting the choreography. As she joined them, she felt a soft touch on her shoulder and whipped around.

"How are you feeling?" Chloe asked, semi-concerned, as well as smug.

"I've felt worse." Beca replied dryly, earning a sigh from Chloe.

"I don't want there to be any animosity between us Becs, you're one of my closest friends and as much as I want you to talk to me about stuff, I know you're not so open and I'm not gonna hold it against you." Chloe told her, her voice laced with a sympathy that Beca didn't want, nor deserve.

Chloe grabbed her hand and pulled her aside to where her stuff was and pulled out a bottle of water and some Tylenol, holding it out to Beca. As much as Beca wanted to refuse, it was super hard to be rude to Chloe, especially without any liquor in her system.

"Thanks.." She said hastily as she popped the pills and took a big gulp of water. She had to admit; the water felt amazing on her dry throat and brought an instant relief. She knew the Tylenol would be greatly appreciated in about 30 minutes as well.

They quickly rejoined the group amidst receiving a harsh glare from Aubrey, though both of them didn't care. The rest of Bella's practice went smoothly since Beca was simply too tired to fight Aubrey about the boring set list, choreography, and the other topics she usually was quick to sarcastically comment on. After three hours of grotesque dancing, vocal techniques, and running through Aubrey's annoying white board of success, the co-captains had finally called for practice to come to an end and Beca felt a wave of relief wash over her. She couldn't wait to get a coffee, go back to her dorm, and sleep and mix for the rest of her day off.

"Becs, wait up!" She heard Chloe call after her. Beca had naturally been the first one out of the auditorium and stood to the side to wait for the redhead as the other girls made their way out.

"What's up?" She asked Chloe as approached her.

"Do you want to grab a coffee? You look like you're in serious need of a caffeine buzz right now." She said with her usual bubbly smile. As much as Beca wanted to say no, she had felt guilty about trying to be mean to the older girl in order to push her away and not deal with her feelings for her, so she decided to just give in.

"That sounds decent. Just don't say buzz anymore." Beca replied, wincing at the thought of alcohol or anything related.

"Dope!" Chloe said with a chuckle as she latched onto Beca's arm.

The duo made their way across campus, headed to their usual coffee cart as they made small talk (Chloe more than Beca) trying to catch up since it had been almost a week since they had talked or hung out.

"Sorry Aubrey's such a bitch to you sometimes." Chloe said as her and Beca casually walked across the quad.

"Sometimes? Sorry, I must've missed the times where she's been anything but." Beca said with a smirk.

Chloe rolled her eyes and grinned. "There's the Beca I know! Welcome back, bitch." She teased. "I know Aubrey is super harsh on you, but I've got your back. She's fuckin' nuts sometimes but if you knew her better, you'd understand. Her dad isn't exactly easy on her, I'm sure you can relate." She added.

"I totally get that. But I don't rip everyone's head off just because I don't get along with my dad."

Chloe stopped and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Whatever, it's different when I do it!" Beca replied in defence

"Uh huh, whatever you say Becs."

"For what it's worth though, I like that you have my back." Beca said sincerely, looking away and then back over to Chloe.

"Well, for what it's worth, you're welcome." She said nudging Beca's arm.

As they approached the coffee cart, arm in arm, they were greeted by the usual eager barista.

"There's my favorite couple! I haven't seen you guys in days." He said

Beca bit her lip and looked over to Chloe with an amused grin on her face, Chloe's smile as bright as ever as she pulled Beca closer to her, much to Beca's surprise.

"Well we had a fight, but we just made up this morning. You wouldn't believe how stubborn this one can be." Chloe said with a wink as Beca rolled her eyes

"Oh I think I can believe it." The kid said with a smile while making their coffees.

_'Asshole.'_ Beca thought

He handed over their coffees, adding that it was on the house and that Beca better be nice to the ginger because girls like her don't come along often.

"I hate him, and I hate you too." Beca said matter of factly once they were out of earshot

"Hey, he said you have to be NICE to me! I'm a catch! And I don't know about you, but I love free coffee, so play your part, _dear_." Chloe told her with an emphasis on the last word.

They found a huge tree and sprawled out beneath it, Beca pulling out her laptop and putting on music as they drank their coffee and talked about classes, Bella's, and the songs that came on Beca's itunes.

"Can I hear what you've been working on lately?" Chloe asked, referring to Beca's mixes.

Beca hesitated. Her mixes had been kind of dark lately, the ones she could finish anyways.

"I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to…" Chloe added, obviously disappointed. She didn't want Chloe to think she didn't trust her to listen to them or anything like that, she just knew that they different from the club ready ones she had shown Chloe before and wasn't quite sure what kind of reaction Chloe would have. She pulled her laptop up and after a few clicks, her mix of Everything But The Girl's "Missing" and Paramore's "All I Wanted" began to play.

I step off the train, I'm wandering down your street again  
(Think of me when you're out, when you're out there)  
Past your door  
(I'll beg you nice from my knees)  
But you don't live there anymore  
You've disappeared somewhere  
(And when the world treats you way too fairly)  
(It's a shame I'm a dream)  
And I miss you, yeah,  
(All I wanted was you)  
Like the desert's miss the rain  
And I miss you, yeah  
(All I wanted was you)  
Like the desert's miss the rain

Chloe listened eagerly. She looked like she was anyways. It even looked like she could tell the words were for her.

"It's beautiful Becs." She said softly  
"Super depressing, but beautiful."

"Yeah…I've been kind of off lately." Beca said simply, not adding anymore.

"You don't have to tell me anything, but I'm always here for you, you know that but I'm going to keep telling you that." Chloe told her, putting her hand on Beca's back. An act that drove Beca crazy.

"I-I know. Believe me. If I ever want to talk, I'll hunt you down." Beca told her

"Do you talk to Jesse?" Chloe asked

"What..what do you mean?" Beca asked looking at Chloe with a quizzical look

"Well, do you tell him what's going on in that anxiety ridden brain?" Chloe pressed

"What makes you think I have anxiety?" Beca asked

"Deflecting my question with defensiveness is what makes me know that you have anxiety." Chloe told her

"Just cause you're a psych major doesn't mean you have to psycho-analyze me. My father employs a highly paid therapist to do that shit."

"It was just a simple question, Becs." Chloe reminds her.

"Well then, yes, I talk to Jesse. Sometimes." Beca told her

"But you won't talk to me?"

"About _what!?_"

"About anything! Something!" Chloe pleaded

"I don't understand why this is such an issue with you. What exactly do you want to know?" Beca asked her, trying not to let her anger get the best of her.

"You've been so distant. More so then when I first met you. I understand having walls, Beca, I get it. But I don't understand why you'll talk to Jesse, whom you're close with, over me, whom you're also close with."

"It's complicated."

"How so?"

"Geez, Chloe, should I write you a check for this session or something?"

"Seriously Beca, it's weird that you'll talk to Jesse but not me! I just want to be your friend!"

'That's exactly what I needed to hear, except not.' Beca thought

"Why do you care so much? What difference does it make to you?" Beca asked, maybe a little too sharply.

"Cause I care about you! And I know I told you I don't want to pry but it's offensive that you'll talk to Jesse, but not to me."

"I never asked you to care." Beca replied. Knowing that all she really wanted was for Chloe to care even half as much as she did. And here she was, telling Beca just that, yet Beca still couldn't open up to her.

"That's not even the point, Becs."

"I've gotta go." Beca said, standing up and grabbing her laptop and putting it in her bag.

"Wow, seriously?" Chloe asked, quite offended.

"Look Chloe, I'm sorry I can't give you what you want. Maybe you should be friends with someone who reads like an open book, like Aubrey or Fat Amy. I'm not like that." Beca told her as she turned to leave.

Beca rushed back to her dorm. She wanted to get away from the scene of her crimes as fast as possible.

'You want to know why I can't talk to you like how I talk to Jesse? Because I'm fucking in love with you' she mentally responded to Chloe's persistent question.

Crashing onto her bed, Beca immediately drifted off to sleep. She loved sleeping because it meant that she didn't have to deal with anything real.

A few hours later, she woke to a loud knocking on her door. She heard Kimmy Jin answer the door and let whoever it was in.

"Get up, loser. We're going to a party!"  
Beca heard Jesse's excited voice and groaned.

"I really don't feel like it, Jess." She told him, rolling over and opening her eyes.

"I really don't care how you feel because you're coming." He responded, pulling her comforter off of her.

"You're an ass." She said simply

"I don't care! It's an aca-party and you're like practically required to go." He told her

"I don't want to see any aca-people." She responded

"You mean you don't want to see Chloe. You guys still haven't made up?" Jesse asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Uh, well we did. But then she got mad at me because I told her that I talk to you about stuff, when I haven't really talked about anything interesting with her I guess, even though she's my best friend." Beca said

"You're a dick, why would you tell her you talk to me and not her?" He asked

"Uh, dude, I was being honest. For once. And look what good it did." She said

"Your logic was all wrong on that one. Now get your ass up, we're going to this party, even if I have to drag you." He said

As much as she didn't want to, she knew she should go at least to make things better with Chloe. It would be awkward to have to do all of the Bella's stuff on bad terms with Chloe. Aubrey was already a bitch to her, she didn't need someone else to make her aca-life miserable, she just wanted to get that shit over with so she could get to LA in one piece.

They arrived at the BTM house and she quickly looked around for Chloe, sighing in defeat as she didn't see her. Stacie and Fat Amy grabbed her and pulled her into the kitchen, making her a drink while talking about practice and how much of a bitch Aubrey was to her today. Of course they found it hilarious.

"Have you guys seen Chloe here?" She asked

"Yeah, she's here somewhere." Fat Amy replied

"What happened now? You look like you just killed her dog." Stacie said

"We just had a disagreement of sorts, the only reason I'm even here is because I want to make things right and leave." Beca told them.

"That's a stupid reason to be at a party." Fat Amy said  
"Operation get shawshank wasted is now ON!"

"Shots!" Stacie squealed, as she grabbed a bottle of whiskey and some shot glasses and quickly poured three before Beca could even protest. She wasn't sure what Stacie's major was, but if it failed she could definitely be a bartender.

After they roped her into 3 rounds of shots, she decided she should probably find Chloe to apologize, something that she felt she was doing far too often.

"One more round!" Fat Amy declared. Beca shook her head violently.

"No guys, I really need to find Chloe." She told them

"Why so you can declare your love to her?" Stacie said, only half teasing.

"WHAT!? No, I told you, I just want to make sure we're cool." Beca said

"Yeah right half-pint. We know you're not boinking Jesse, and the only other person you hang out with is Chloe, you must like one of them." Fat Amy said

"That's dumb reasoning." She informed them

"And I found your blog and there's way too much Tegan and Sara on that shit for me to believe you're straight." Stacie added

'Fuck you Stacie'

Beca felt her cheeks get hot. She wasn't ashamed of being gay, she just never made it an issue to talk about it…and nobody had ever really confronted her about it this way.

"One more round." She told them.

"Chloe! Hey!" Chloe whipped around at the sound of a male calling her name. She turned to see Jesse waving and walking up to her.  
"What are you doing out here?" He asked

"Just getting some air." She replied. She was slightly jealous of him. He probably knew all there was to know about Beca while she hardly knew the basics. She downed the rest of her drink and turned to him.

"Can I ask you a question?" Chloe asked

"Beca's inside." He stated, taking a sip of his beer.

"That wasn't even my question…but since we are on the topic of her. Why is she so closed off from me?" She asked

"She's closed off from everyone." He answered, desperately not wanting to have this conversation.

"Don't bullshit me Jesse, she blatantly told me she talks to you but not to me. Did I do something wrong?" She asked

"No, Chloe, you didn't. She's just…I don't know. I can't get into it with you." He told her

"Aha! So there is something! C'mon Jesse, give me something. You know I care about her just as much, if not more than you!" Chloe argued

"It's not that. And it's not for me to talk to you about. I'm sorry Chloe. But you need to know that Beca really cares about you. A lot. The only reason she came here is because she wanted to find you and clear the air." Jesse said.

Just then, a buzzed Beca stumbled onto the porch, looking around for Chloe or Jesse. Luckily, she had found them both and made her way over.

"Heyy guys." She greeted

Jesse stifled his laugh. "What's up Becs, repeating yesterday a bit?" He asked

"Nowhere near that point. Fat Amy and Stacie practically forced the booze down my throat." She told them. Chloe hadn't said anything, she was just standing there, obviously annoyed.

"Jesse, can I talk to Chloe in private real quick?" Beca asked. Jesse nodded and went to make his way inside.

"Chloe look I know you're pissed at me but I don't want to fight with you, can't we just continue as we were before? Like, just hanging out and listening to music and stuff?"

Chloe was about to reply when she heard a commotion near the door. Stacie and Fat Amy had made their way onto the porch, drunk and obnoxiously loud.

"JESSE!" Stacie exclaimed, grabbing him  
"Did you know Beca's gay!?"

Beca's ears suddenly felt like they were on fire as she turned and glared at the three of them. Jesse shot her a sympathetic look as she turned back to Chloe.

"Um.." She started as Chloe turned to leave  
"Chloe! It's not that big of a deal!" She pleaded

"Seriously, Beca!? Stacie and Fat Amy knew that pretty significant detail about your life before I did? We're supposed to be best friends, you know I have no problem with gay people, why the hell did you tell everyone but me?!" Chloe yelled before turning and going down the stairs.

Beca knew she probably shouldn't go after her, for fear of being way too honest since she was drunk. But she did.

"Chloe wait!" Beca cried  
"You're all tall and shit, your legs are longer and you're going a mile a minute!" She yelled trying to keep up with the older girl, realizing they were half way across campus already.

"Beca I'm so pissed at you, I can't even stop to hear your bull shit!" Chloe said

"Well at least you're still talking to me?" Beca reasoned, only a few feet behind Chloe.

"That's about to stop, right now." Chloe responded.

"Okay..well just hear me out then!" Beca said, jogging so she was in front of Chloe and stopping the ginger in her tracks.

"What!? What else do you want to tell me that you've clued everyone else in on but me? I've told you like every detail of my life and you couldn't even tell me one thing, yet you had no problem telling a few of the other Bella's who you don't even hang out with!" Chloe said furiously.

"Listen Chloe, it's complicated…" She began

"Oh my God, I don't want to hear this again. It's complicated. I get it. I'm done." Chloe said, pushing past her and walking.  
Beca wasn't sure what over took her. It was probably the alcohol because under any other circumstances, she probably wouldn't do this. She reached out and grabbed Chloe, turning the red head so she was facing her.

"Chloe, I didn't tell you I was gay BECAUSE you are my best friend, who's a girl anyways, and I didn't want shit to get weird! The other Bella's all probably think I secretly like them now just for the simple fact that I am a lesbian. Do you know how annoying that is? Straight girls always think gay girls like them just cause they're gay, it's frustrating." Beca said

"So..you didn't tell me cause you thought it would make things weird?" Chloe asked

"Duh, that's what I just said. Keep up Beale." She said with a smirk. Chloe smiled and pulled Beca into a hug, her arms wrapping around the tiny brunette so tight that the younger girl thought she was going to suffocate.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I mean, I was going to. And a ton of other stuff, but the reason I keep myself so closed off is because I can never say shit the right way. And Jesse is like my wingman, my brother, he doesn't even count as talking to someone because he's just there and he's a dork. Please don't get offended.." Beca told her, pulling away but still keeping a firm grip on the older girl, as if she was going to run again.

"I'm really sorry I got so mad at you Becs. It's really not like me, I'm usually so easy going. And I don't know why I got mad about you being close to Jesse..I mean he's your friend. I guess…I guess I just thought…"

"Thought _what?_" Beca asked, not too sure where this was going.

Chloe hesitated.

"I got upset because I thought he was getting you to open up to him and well, I want to know certain sides of you Beca. I-I.. I want to know more about you. Everything I possibly can. I can't explain it. I just want to be close to you." Chloe confessed, biting her lip and shrugging. Beca smiled at her and tilted her head.

"Yeah?" She asked. Chloe nodded and Beca laughed.

"I know I've said it before, but, I don't even understand how we're friends." She told the red head.

"You're so dense, Beca. You're an amazing person…I don't understand how you can't see it." Chloe told her.

They continued to walk around campus and returned to their playful, light banter as before. It was a relief to the two of them that the tension was gone, though, there was still something between them, but Beca wasn't the only one feeling it now.


	6. Chapter 6

"What about _her_?"

Beca was absentmindedly pulled out of her zone of focus by Chloe's voice. The pair were sitting on the quad, Beca working on her latest mix, and Chloe studying.

"Hm?" Beca murmured, looking up at Chloe's gesture toward a girl walking by.

"Wait, don't look now,…okay now look!" Chloe said as the girl looked their way while walking by.

Beca looked at the girl quickly and then turned back to face Chloe.

"Um, it doesn't really work like that Chlo." She replied, returning her stare to her computer screen.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked

Beca chuckled.  
"It means I can't tell if they're my 'type' by just looking at them. Girls are my 'type' but I can't tell their personality by just looking at them…besides, I've dated a few different kinds of girls. It really just depends on their personality." She said

"Soo, looks don't matter?" Chloe asked

"No. Definitely didn't say that. What I mean is, yeah, I can agree that girl is pretty. Hot, even. But it doesn't necessarily mean I'm attracted to her, just by that." Beca told the older girl.

"Oh, I see..hmm…" Chloe responded

"Since when are you my matchmaker?" Beca asked the older girl with an amused look on her face. Ever since she had come out to her best friend, she had been enthusiastically questioning the DJ about related topics (she almost _died_ of laughter when Chloe asked her if she watched the L Word.) It was kind of cute how interested the red head was about her love life, past and present. Beca kind of liked the attention from Chloe, and she could swear there was a hint of jealousy in Chloe's demeanor whenever she responded, but she knew better than to believe it meant anything.

"Relax, I'm not signing you up for the bachelorette for anything. I'm just trying to…" She paused looking for the right non-intrusive term, "figure you out." She finished

"Figure me out? Haven't you already done that?" Beca asked, mentally noting how Chloe pretty much already knew all there was to know about her, even if the red head didn't actually realize it.

Chloe giggled. A sound that never failed to make Beca smile, even if it was only slightly out of the side of her mouth.

"I've knocked some walls down, but I've hardly figured you out, Beca Mitchell." Chloe stated, grabbing a water bottle out of her bag and taking a sip.

"Well you're going about it entirely the wrong way…and aren't you supposed to be studying?" Beca said, her infamous smirk still plastered on her face.

"I am! I'm studying the elusive, bad ass DJ, Beca Mitchell and all of her _ways_." Chloe replied with emphasis on the last part.

"Well, I'm sorry to say you're failing." Beca told the older girl sarcastically.

"And here I am, back at square one!" Chloe said, throwing her hands up in mock frustration. Beca just let out a laugh.

"So, listen…" Beca nervously began, tucking her hair behind her ear and turning her gaze over to Chloe.  
"One of my favorite DJ's is playing this venue down the street from campus Friday night and I've got two tickets courtesy of Luke and the radio station, would you wanna go with?" Beca asked casually. Meanwhile, her stomach was doing flips in anticipation of Chloe's answer. Her mind had been debating her all day on whether she should ask Chloe or not. I mean, surely on a Friday night, Chloe could find some better way to occupy her time than hangout with Beca and see someone she has never heard of before, like wash her hair, or clean her room, or something of actual importance, right?

"Yeah, I'd love to!" Chloe quickly responded.

_'Of course she's totally busy…wait, did she just say she'd go? What!?'_

"Seriously? You'd be down to check it out?" Beca asked, obviously bewildered that Chloe had agreed right off the bat. She didn't even say she'd check her schedule, like she does to most guys who try to spend time with her.

"Why do you sound so surprised? You know I love music, Becs." She told the younger girl as she flipped through her notebook.

"Wasn't sure if you were into that scene…I asked Jesse but he's more into classic rock and kind of shrugged it off" Beca told her

"Oh. So I was your second choice?" She asked the younger girl playfully

"No! That's not what I meant. I mean, I only asked Jesse first cause he was there when Luke gave me the tickets but it was kind of just like a considerate gesture, I know he'd have a horrible time, and I'd probably not even notice him having a horrible time and then be a horrible friend, and…"

"You're doing that thing where you ramble again, Becs" Chloe said, cutting off the DJ with a cute smile.

Beca grunted.  
"I wasn't rambling, I was explaining…totally different." She argued

"No, you were definitely rambling there. But whatever, it's adorable." Chloe said nonchalantly.

'Okay what universe is this? Not only has Chloe agreed to hang out with me but now she just told me my rambling is adorable. Maybe I should ramble more often?..'

"Beca?"

The younger girl was again brought out of a daze by the beautiful red head.

"Huh? What?" She asked looking at her, noticing Chloe's crystal blue eyes were dead locked with hers.

"I asked you who the DJ is. Is it David Guetta?" Chloe asked

Beca laughed.  
"No, it's not David Guetta. His stage name is Girl Talk, and he basically takes all these amazing songs and throws them together so that the album is one track. His style is so innovative…it's like one huge mash up of all of his favorite songs, songs that are so random separately, but fit together so perfectly." She explained

"Kind of like what you do?" Chloe asked gesturing to Beca's laptop.

"Yeah. Except he's way better at it." Beca scoffed

"I believe I'll be the better judge of that. Well, maybe not since I'm already biased." She told the younger girl with a wink.  
"Shit, I've gotta get to class, it's already 15 past!" Chloe said after casually looking at her phone. She collected her things in a hurry and stood up.

"Kay, we'll talk about Friday more after Bella's practice tonight." Beca said, sporting a frown that the older girl was leaving. Chloe was so studious, if it was Beca, she would've definitely blown off class without a mention to the older girl about it. Chloe was still on her ass about going to her lectures and completing her work.

"Sounds _dope_!" Chloe exclaimed as she began to walk off

"We really need to find you another phrase!" Beca shouted as she laughed and watched the red head turn around and throw her a wink before speeding off to her lecture hall.

The semi-finals were right around the corner and Beca couldn't believe how quickly the year was going by. It seemed like just yesterday she had arrived on campus with a countdown in her head of how many days until she'd be on her way to LA and the real world. Since she had gotten caught up in the entire aca-world (how gay does that sound?) she had forgotten all about her countdown, and though she wouldn't mention it to anyone, she kind of didn't want it to end. She was mostly hung up on the fact that she would miss the shit out of Jesse and Chloe, her two besties, but she couldn't deny that she'd miss the Bella's and their antics, except for Aubrey of course. Aubrey she could gladly leave behind.

"Beca! Make sure you watch your last step before the transition, it's off." Aubrey scolded after they had ran through their routine for the thousandth time or so. Beca responded with a mere eye roll. The routine was tired and she really didn't give a damn, there was no way the Bella's were even going to place.

"Really? I thought her step was perfect." Chloe contested, shooting Beca a wink.

Aubrey just frowned and shot Beca a death glare.

"Don't debate this with me Chloe, we can't afford any mistakes, this is where it counts. Alright, everyone, let's go again from the top!" Aubrey demanded with a clap.

The girls groaned collectively as they all took their places. Clearly Beca wasn't the only one who thought their routine was shitty. It really was a shame that Aubrey was so obsessed with the previous year's events that she couldn't even see how awful everything was, not to mention Beca thought it was totally selfish of Aubrey to have so much control over The Bella's for her own personal gain instead of including the others in what they were all forced to do, or even letting Chloe have a little more say. At this point though, Beca knew there was no use in speaking against it anymore, Aubrey had the pitch pipe and didn't care about anything or anyone else.

After rehearsing for another hour, Aubrey finally called it.

"Alright girls, trust me, if we can nail this routine at Semi-Finals, without any surprises.."  
She paused for a moment and glared at Fat Amy as a warning before continuing, "..then we'll be off to Lincoln Center!" She said enthusiastically.

Beca scoffed, maybe a little too audibly, but she couldn't help it. Was Aubrey seriously trying to motivate these girls and convince them that their routine was amazing? Beca wasn't a team player, but she had researched the other groups just so see what they were actually up against and they were definitely fucked, she didn't have the heart to say it to anyone but she couldn't believe that Aubrey thought they were going to win, let alone place.

"Hands. In." Aubrey said through clenched teeth, shooting Beca another displeasing look.

After practice, Beca lingered and waited for Chloe to finish up with Aubrey so she could chat her up about the show Friday night. As usual, she had her oversized headphones on blasting one of her most recent mixes when she suddenly felt them being removed and hands covering her eyes. Just as she was about to whip around and beat the shit out of whomever it was, she heard a familiar voice.

"Guess who?"

"Jesus Christ Chloe! I almost started throwing hooks!" Beca said as Chloe removed her hands and Beca turned to see a giggling Chloe.

"You're paranoid, did you know that?" Chloe asked, still giggling.

"I live in a city, it's called being street smart! How was I supposed to know it was you and not some crazy maniac trying to rob me?" The small DJ exclaimed.

"Well, I would've been pretty pissed if you had punched me, so thanks for not, I guess." Chloe said, still looking amused at how she had scared the younger girl.

"You would've definitely deserved it, so you can't blame a girl." Beca informed her

"That's not nice!" Chloe exclaimed with a pout which just made Beca chuckle lightly. They began to walk and Chloe instinctively linked her arm with Beca's as they began to bullshit about their day.

"Are you excited for Semi-Finals?" Beca asked sarcastically, not knowing it was actually a sore spot for the ginger. She had been excited for her senior year and to be captain of the Bella's, but because of Aubrey's control, she hadn't been as involved as she wanted and with the decision to do last year's routine and barely making it through regionals, Chloe knew that her last year with the Bella's wouldn't be as an ICCA champion.

"I've been trying to talk to Aubrey about easing up on tradition the entire season and I just couldn't break through. I'm not as excited as if we were doing something new, but I guess competing is exciting enough." Chloe answered in a disappointed tone. Suddenly Beca felt bad for the older girl.

"Well if by some miracle we advance at the Semi-Finals, maybe we could work on a new arrangement to pitch to Aubrey together?" Beca offered in a hopeful tone.

Chloe smiled. "I'd like that, a lot. Working with you would definitely be a treat. Although, I don't know how Aubrey would take it…you certainly enjoy pissing her off." Chloe teased

"I'm sorry, I just find so much joy in making little comments that I know will go straight up her ass!" Beca confessed "It's like my new favorite hobby." The brunette added

"Enough Bella's talk…so tell me more about this show we're going to Friday night"

"Okay, well it's at Bar One and I think it starts at 9? So we should head out a little early, grab something to eat on the way." Beca responded smoothly.

"It sounds a lot like a date." Chloe said, nudging the younger girl slightly, unbeknownst to her that Beca almost lost her balance at the comment alone.

"If that's what you consider a date, then we've dating for months" Beca said with one of her signature smirks, flirting confidently. She loved that she had gotten to the point to where she could do that with the older girl.

"See, we're going steady and I didn't even know it! Ya know, I've never dated a girl before." Chloe said

"Really? So you've never experienced the fairer sex?" Beca asked, honestly excited for Chloe's response and dreading it at the same time

"Ah, well experienced, yes. Dated…no." Chloe stated. Beca knew she was sporting a bewildered look and wiped it off her face as soon as she could. "I mean, it is college."

Okay, so Chloe has hooked up with girls before. Beca couldn't help but feel some excitement…could it be that her and Chloe could actually be a possibility? This information sat very well with Beca.

"Well, you probably just haven't met the right girl to sweep you off your feet, for more than sex, that is." Beca replied, her voice laced with cockiness

"Guess not." The ginger replied with a simple shrug.

Before Beca knew it, they were at Chloe's campus apartment and the older girl was saying good night.

"Wait!" Chloe said as Beca was turning to leave. The younger girl whipped around, her full attention on the red head. Chloe pulled her into the biggest hug she had ever received from someone.  
"I almost forgot that."

"Yes, you certainly love to hug." Beca said with a winded breath. For some reason the bubbly girl's hugs still always caught her off guard and knocked the wind out of her. "Goodnight, Chlo" She added shortly after.

"Goodnight Becs" Chloe responded, lightly kissing the DJ on the cheek before turning to go inside.

Beca stood for a moment with a shocked expression on her face, her fingers lightly tracing the spot that Chloe had graced with her lips.

_'Did that really just happen?'_

There was a very dangerous line that was being balanced here, the line between friends and something more. There were birds in her ear and a devil on her shoulder, and right now, she was listening to both of them.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! This chapter is the "date" chapter and is actually split into two parts...the second part will be up in a couple of days since I'm still finishing it up but I know you'll all enjoy this while you wait...please review! And don't be afraid to suggest anything...I know where I want this story to go but I'm always open for suggestions from fellow authors = )**

'One, two, three, four…okay, fuck this shit. Counting sheep is stupid.'

Beca found herself tossing and turning viciously in her bed for the third night in a row now. For some reason she couldn't seem to shut her mind off, though it wasn't really that much of a mystery, the reason was Chloe Beale. Beca had done nothing but repeat her last interaction with the redhead since it occurred, and her mind seemed to pick apart every detail of that night every night, for the past three nights, when she laid her head down to sleep.

Her friendship with Chloe had become one of the most important things in her life; it was right up there with music. Her affections for the ginger bombshell had come to scare the shit out of her. If she was honest with her best friend, she could fuck up the best relationship she's ever had with someone, and if she kept them to herself, she would surely overdose on feelings and probably die of frustration. Her mind also wrestled with the idea, or dream rather, that Chloe could possibly return those same sentiments. Seriously, who just kisses their friend on the cheek after a moonlit walk? Okay, so even if it was common for girls to meaninglessly kiss their best friends on the cheek, it's not like Beca would really know. The last time she had a close friend who was a girl had been in elementary school. The second she hit junior high, she mostly hung with guys if anyone, and her last two years of high school were spent pining over her supposed best friend, only to have that come to a screeching halt when the girl followed her douche bag boyfriend across the country. So, yeah, Beca wasn't exactly the most knowledgeable when it came to the subject of friendship.

She sighed heavily as she sat up in her bed, throwing her covers off and grabbing for her phone. She looked over to see her roommate Kimmy Jin in full on slumber and suddenly became very envious of the Asian.  
'Must be nice' Beca thought, a scowl forming on her face. She shook herself of her momentary anger and quickly typed out a text.

Beca: Hey, you're at the station, right?

Jesse: Yeah, what's up? Why the hell are you awake?

Beca: I'm dropping by. See you in 10.

Beca threw on some jeans and her favorite band hoodie and headed to the radio station. Upon arriving and assuring Jesse that she was fine and that she just couldn't sleep, she began stacking CD's while he manned the booth.

"Seriously Beca, you look exhausted...why are you here?" Jesse asked after watching the short brunette's actions for a short while.

Beca ignored her best friend's voice. She was too preoccupied with the thoughts of the Chloe situation racing through her mind to even register what the goofy-dark haired boy was saying. She just continued to absentmindedly stack CD's.

"BECA!" Jesse yelled. This time his tone caught her intention and she looked up.

"What are you doing?" He questioned

"I'm trying to find where this Garbage album goes, what does it look like?" She replied, focusing her attention back to the shelf of CD's.

"No, I see what you're doing. But WHAT are you doing HERE, at 2am?" Jesse asked again, this time walking over and taking the album from her and putting it in its proper place, which was literally in front of her the entire time.

"Fuck. I don't know Jesse. I can't sleep. My head can't focus on anything else besides Chloe, especially since the other night.." She told him with a frustrated sigh. He reached over and took the stack of CDs out of her hands.

"What happened the other night?" He asked, cocking his head to look at her while placing an album on the shelf.

"She kissed me…nothing crazy, just like, on the cheek. And I'm pretty sure it was a friendly thing but it's just made everything more intense. My head is actually hurting from this shit, Jess." Beca explained

"Well of course…you're in love, Bec." He said with an amused smile.

"I know. And that's exactly the problem! I'm reaching my breaking point, and these mixed signals are doing nothing for me. If I confess my feelings, our friendship is ruined, and if I don't, well, I'll be ruined." She replied

"Girls are so fucking dramatic." Jesse said

"Seriously, that's all you have to say? You are the worst LESBRO ever." She deadpanned

"Let me rephrase this; it's not rocket science Beca. It's Chloe Beale."

"I'm sure many who have come before me, and I'm sure there's many, can argue that Chloe Beale is beyond rocket science."

"Look, Chloe is someone you know better than anyone, and vice versa. And speaking as a totally not involved third party person, I'm pretty sure she's into you." He told her

"Well, what if she's not?"

"I'm sure she wouldn't let things fall apart between you two, friendship is more important than anything, and it's Chloe..She's like the ultimate friend."

"I guess. I'll just feel like a total idiot if she doesn't reciprocate my feelings. The entire reason I didn't tell her I was gay was because I didn't want her to be weird around me. I think this counteracts that."

Jesse walked over to Beca and grabbed her by the shoulders, firmly. Beca shot him a weird look as he fought off a smile, trying to stay serious.

"Stop. Thinking. Just stop! You're over complicating this and not even enjoying it." He told her

"Enjoying what?" She questioned

"Falling in love! I bet if you stopped thinking about all these negative things and just looked at all the positive things, like how Chloe makes you feel and how awesome that is, you'd be more excited."

Beca opened her mouth to argue his point, but quickly shut it upon realizing that it sort of made sense. Beca always considered herself a here and now kind of girl, so the fact that she wasn't living up to her own standard kind of got to her. All this worrying and overanalyzing every scenario was sort of taking the fun out of the situation. She remembered the days where she would smile alone to herself, thinking of witty and smooth things to say upon seeing the redhead next, and how she used to be on cloud nine for the entire day after receiving just one smile from the girl. Instead of letting things play out and fall into place, she had been agonizing over every little detail and trying to calculate every moment. No wonder she had been so wound up lately.

_'Don't think and let it be. Two of my favorite lyrics, how could I not get it?'_ She wondered.

"And I can see by the look on your face that the light bulb has just come on. My work is done." Jesse said with a grin

Beca rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly. Even if it all seemed entirely too simple and rehearsed, like one of those movies he loved, Beca couldn't help but be thankful for this little pep talk, or whatever it was.

"You're still taking Chloe to Girl Talk tomorrow night, right?" Jesse asked

"Yeah, why?"

"Just have fun. Don't put any stress on the situation…see where the night takes you." He told her

"I know…it's just easier said than done." Beca sighed out, rolling up the sleeves of her hoodie as she felt her nerves return.

"Well, this should help!" He said as he went over to the table and came back, placing something card like in her hand. She studied it carefully.

"A fake ID? Where in the actual fuck did you get this?" She asked him amused and slightly chuckling  
"Also, why is my name Madison!?"

"Luke had it made for you. You definitely have to drink at Girl Talk. Plus, the liquid courage will probably help make things easier with Chloe."

"Ah, yes. I don't think she is a fan of 'Small and Smashed' Beca." She told him, remembering her last drunk encounter with the older girl.

"Regardless, you're going to need it." He informed her  
"Now go and sleep. You're making me so angry because you can actually be asleep right now, and you're just choosing not to." Jesse pleaded in a jealous tone

She simply nodded and pulled her hood up, heading for the exit. Before her hand reached the knob she turned to Jesse with a tired smile

"Thanks for listening Jess." She said honestly

"Anytime B." He replied with a shrug.

When Beca returned to her dorm and laid her head down, she fell asleep instantly, her mind filling with thoughts of Chloe's perfect smile and contagious laugh instead of the usual she loves me, she loves me not panic.

The next afternoon, Beca spotted Chloe on the quad in between classes. The older girl was sprawled out beneath a tree reading a gigantic textbook. As Beca walked toward the ginger, she took in her every essence. Chloe was pre-med, one of the many things that Beca found herself attracted to. The redhead was smart, motivated, and extremely witty. Above all that, she could hold her own in an argument with Beca, even getting the younger girl to stand down. She challenged the cocky DJ to no end, which she found absolutely endearing. Beca also felt safe around the older girl, a feeling she was sure she had lost when she was young. After watching all of the most important people in your life literally walk out and turn their backs on you it made sense as to why Beca was guarded and for the most part kept to herself, but Chloe had broken through all of her bitter walls and stolen her heart. Beca couldn't help but lose her breath. She truly loved everything about this girl, even the things she disliked. Like how Chloe loves Disney movies, and owns way too many items that are pink. Even those normally awful things made Chloe all the more attractive, if that was possible.

"What's up half pint?" Chloe asked, looking up at Beca, a grin forming as she approached.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't know…I'm too short." Beca replied with a shrug and a smirk  
"I actually just wanted to check and make sure that we're still cool for tonight."

"Why, what's tonight?" Chloe questioned with a dumbfounded look on her face.

_She forgot. Did she seriously forget?_

Beca's heart sank and her expression immediately fell.

"Relax, Becs! I'm just fucking with you," Chloe laughed  
"I've been waiting for tonight all week! I downloaded a ton of his stuff onto my iPod and can't wait to see him in action."

_This chick will be the death of me_

Beca's smile returned to her face and a feeling of relief washed over her.

"His live stuff is a lot better…it's very spontaneous. He lives in the moment, reading the crowd and experimenting." Beca told the older Bella matter of factly.

"Sounds a lot like another great DJ I like." Chloe said winking at Beca which immediately made the smaller girl blush. Beca casually tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to remain composed and to keep from grinning like a fool.

"I gotta head to class, but I'll text you after and we'll make plans to meet up, okay?" Beca said as she tried to shake off her blush.

Chloe nodded with a smile. "Study hard!" she said, raising a fist at Beca.

"You are the biggest nerd ever and I am walking away now!" Beca laughed as she put her oversized headphones on and turned to head off to class.

When Beca returned to her dorm after her class she was relieved to find it empty. Kimmy Jin's budding social life definitely had Beca's approval. She put her bag on her bed, removed her blaring headphones, and pulled her phone out of her pocket proceeding to send a text.

Beca: 7'oclock good for you Red?

Chloe: Sounds perfect DJ =P

Beca: Word, I'll come grab you then chica

Chloe: Alright, DOPE!

Beca: You're such a dork Beale = )

Chloe: I'm just trying to be like you, sue me!

Beca: I'm literally calling D'olivera and Morgan right now…

Chloe: That's fine, Aubrey is my representation so bring it half-pint!

Beca: I guess we're settling then, huh? ; ) go get ready, I'll see you in a bit

Chloe: WORD.

Beca smiled at the sarcastic exchanges and placed her phone down. She went over to her closet and began to pull out potential outfits for the night. Beca wasn't really into dressing up when she went to clubs and venues, she always figured it was best to be comfortable at shows versus awkwardly trying maneuver high ass heels while constantly pulling at a dress that exposed too much for her liking, though she'd never oppose to any other girl in a dress showing off the goods. She's only human, after all.

She decided on her favorite pair of dark ripped skinny jeans, a low cut white v-neck that sported the name of her favorite indie pop band Vanity Theft, and a black vest. She decided on wearing her favorite pair of Adidas' instead of her usual vintage combat boots. After changing and deciding that she'd leave her hair down since for once she actually liked it, she applied her usual heavy eyeliner, mascara, and dark eye shadow. Feeling pretty satisfied with her appearance, she accented her look with a pair of real military dog tags. Her favorite uncle on her mom's side had given them to her when her parents were going through their awful divorce. He had told her about Vietnam and how it was his personal hell and how it became his mission to return home with his dog tags since most of his buddies weren't. He vowed to Beca that she'd get through it all and that others have had to endure their own personal hells just as she has. He told her she was a fierce fighter just like him, and that the dog tags were to remind her of that, even in her hardest times. Symbolism aside, they were a fuckin bad ass accessory.

She walked over to her mini fridge and grabbed a beer and decided to kill some time by cleaning up her iTunes library. As she sipped the cold brew, she went through her tracks, making sure all of the information was accurate, organizing by genre rather than artist. After clicking around obsessively for an hour, she realized it was time to go get Chloe. Her nerves hit her like a ton of bricks, but she downed the rest of her beer as an attempt to drown them. She grabbed her keys, phone, and wallet (complete with fake ID) and left her building. Chloe's apartment wasn't far from her dorm and Beca found it humorous that they were so close in proximity given that the campus was pretty huge, go figure. She knocked on Chloe's door a few times and coughed nervously, putting her hands in her back pocket as she always did when nervous. Of course it was Aubrey who answered the door.

"Well, well. If it isn't my favorite pain in the ass." Aubrey grimaced, eyeing Beca up and down.

"Well, well…wait. You're not my favorite anything. Is Chloe ready?" Beca asked.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Chloe! …_She's_ here." The blonde announced.

Chloe appeared from her room looking as gorgeous as ever. Her outfit somewhat mimicked the younger girl's, dark skinny jeans with a low cut red tank top and high brown boots. She was also sporting some black thick rimmed glasses which made Beca smirk.

"What's with the glasses?" Beca asked, knowing Chloe didn't usually wear them.

"I'm going for the hipster look, duh. I looked it up on the internet." Chloe said with a wink.

Beca chuckled. "You're Chloe Beale. You'd fit in if you were wearing nothing but a paper bag, you know that right?"

"Well it's always nice to know you think so highly of me. It must be because you're so short." Chloe retorted with her tongue sticking out

"Wow, learn to take a compliment girl." Beca teased

"Not if they're backhanded compliments, Becs"

"Well, you're the queen of them, so you would know."

"Wow, why am I even going to hang out with you?"

"I know right? We should probably just not chill, or talk, like, ever again." Beca said as her eyes narrowed and a grin spread across her face. Chloe returned the smile and stared her down.

"I'd miss harassing you. I'm quite good at it." Chloe said

"We can both agree on that one, Red."

"You missing me, or me being an expert at annoying you?"

"Take your pick."

Their playful banter was cut short by Aubrey clearing her throat.

"How are you even getting into this club, aren't you only 18?" Aubrey interjected.

"I'm good. I've got a fake ID. But thanks for the concern, mom." Beca shot at her sarcastically. Aubrey huffed in disapproval and Chloe smiled excitedly upon hearing it.

"Let me see it!" Chloe squealed. Beca laughed as she pulled it out of her wallet and handed it to the older girl. "Madison! That's too cute." Beca winced as she took the ID back.

"It's not _cute_, it's bad ass. Madison is a bad ass chick from New Hampshire." Beca scowled

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Becs. Let's head out, I'm starving!" Chloe said grabbing Beca's arm.  
"I'll be home late Aubrey, don't wait up!"

"Yeah, don't wait up Aubrey." Beca said with an amused look, which she knew went right up Aubrey's ass.

They exited the apartment and Chloe just shook her head and shot Beca a look for making fun of her best friend.

"I'm sorry but I can't take anything Aubrey says seriously. And she always starts it!" Beca explained

"Whatever, you guys are gonna have to get along eventually." Chloe told her

"Ugh, I don't see it happening. Hey, since we love pizza how about we hit up Sicilia's? Their deep dish pizza is the shit." Beca suggested

"That sounds…sickkk" Chloe responded, emphasizing the last word which made Beca laugh.

"Oh my god, well, at least you didn't say dope." Beca teased as Chloe just shoved her playfully in response.

Sicilia's was just off campus, so the walk wasn't that long. As they were seated they discussed their topping preferences and chit chatted while they waited for their server.

"Hi, I'm Courtney. I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you girls?" A young blonde girl in her teens asked as she approached the two.

"Hey Courtney, can we have a medium deep dish with cheese and onions? And when I say onions, I mean like A LOT.."

"And when you think there's enough on there, it really means there isn't. Like, load it up." Chloe added

"Exactly." Beca said.  
"Oh and two cokes, please?"

The girl just smiled and nodded before leaving to go put their order in. A few minutes later she returned with their drinks, but the girls hardly noticed as they were engrossed in their usual banter.

"Soo, how are classes going?" The older girl questioned

"You're always about business aren't you? They're fine. My dad wants me to declare a major so he's been calling me a lot, but I don't answer. I'm not trying to declare anything since I plan on peacing out of this place in May." Beca told her.

"You're leaving? After only one year?" Chloe asked, sounding somewhat offended.

"Well, yeah. The deal with my dad was that if I got involved in some sort of group and stuck with it for a year he'd help me move to LA. It's been my dream forever. I had a countdown calendar for the day I turned 18 and could go but he wanted me to pursue a higher education first because he doesn't think being a DJ is anything more than a hobby."

"So you only joined the Bellas to appease your dad?" Chloe asked, using the same tone as before.

"Well, yeah. I guess…Don't get me wrong, I love the girls…I've never had a group of tight girlfriends before. I'll miss them, but my dreams take precedence."

"I-uh. Wow. How come you never told me this before?" Chloe asked

"You know I've always wanted to go to LA. I mean it's not like I have much say in the group, and besides, you're graduating…it's pointless compared to what I can do in LA." The brunette stated, gingerly sipping her coke and eyeing the older girl's expression, is she really upset? This isn't exactly news…she figured it was easy to see that she wasn't really one of the Bellas…nor was she an a capella girl, as she had explained the very day she met Chloe.

"Pointless? That's cool, Becs." Chloe responded, her tone graduating to full on irritated at this point.

"Look, Chlo, I didn't mean it like that. Our friendship is the best thing I've gotten out of this college experience. I have big plans for my life, just as you do. We have to chase our dreams, right? Or else life is just meaningless." Chloe just nodded, it seemed like she still wasn't getting what Beca was trying to say. Beca reached over and put her hand over Chloe's, the contact sent an instant tingling sensation all through Beca's body and she made it a point to focus her breathing so she could further convince Chloe that she wasn't trying to be offensive, just honest.

"I'm just being honest…I don't want you to take it the wrong way, which you clearly are. After you convinced me to audition I thought it'd be awful, but it hasn't been since I gave it a chance. I just don't see it as a reason to stay, ya know?" Beca said in a softened voice.

"Right. We should just talk about something else for now." Chloe said, easing up on her tone, though the gleam in her eyes had disappeared and Beca couldn't help but feel like shit for inflicting that.

"How's Tom?" Beca asked after a moment of silence.

_Fuck, that was the best you could do?_

"He's good…" Chloe began as she went into a full on explanation of the boy's well being. Beca didn't actually care whatsoever so she blocked out pretty much all of what the older girl was saying.  
"We haven't really hung out much this past month though" Beca's ears suddenly perked upon hearing this.

"Why's that?" Beca asked. Looking around and wondering how long it takes to make a fucking pizza.

"Well, I've become very bored with him. He's very average. Not that I didn't expect that, he's nice and all, but it was what it was." Chloe said with a shrug

_'Was. As in, isn't anymore?'_ Beca wondered, but didn't dare ask.

Finally their pizza arrived and Beca had never been so relieved in her life. They ate in a pretty comfortable silence, despite their awkward conversations beforehand. They did both agree it was the best pizza they'd ever had since coming to Barden and Chloe joked that it only took her four years to find it, go figure since she was graduating.

"What are you plans after graduation anyways?" Beca asked after finishing her last slice of pizza.

"Med school in New York. Aubrey's going there too for law so we're moving together and getting an apartment. We're working our asses off this summer to make it happen." The ginger explained

"That's cool…I bet it's not as scary of a move knowing your best friend will be there." Beca replied

"Oh totes. Are you scared about going to LA alone?" Chloe asked

"Not really…I've always been alone, if you think about it."  
"I'm a loner Dottie, a rebel." Beca quoted with a shrug

"I thought you didn't like movies?" Chloe asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Just that one. But don't tell Jesse…he'll have a field day and try to get me to watch it with him, like all the time." Beca said with an eye roll.

The check came and Beca snatched it up before Chloe could even look.

"Look at you money bags, does the radio station pay that well?" Chloe asked sarcastically

"I get compensated very well for my CD stacking abilities…unfortunately, it's an internship and it doesn't pay at all. This is the money I get from working the corner outside of the station though." Beca winked as she threw some bills down on the table.  
"Let's get going…we don't want to miss a second of this show!"

They left the pizzeria and caught a cab to the club, it wasn't that far of a walk, but Chloe insisted she wanted to save all her energy for dancing and Beca knew instantly that she was going to have to have a few drinks if Chloe intended on getting her to dance.

When they arrived at the venue there were already a decent number of people there, and Chloe had been right about the whole hipster thing which made Beca actually chuckle out loud. Her fake ID had worked without so much as a flinch from the bouncer who slapped a wrist band on her left hand and she made a mental note to thank Luke for that later.

"C'mon _Madison_. Let's get some drinks!" Chloe teased as she grabbed Beca's hand, lacing her fingers with the brunette's and pulling her to the bar. They ordered their usuals; Jack and Coke for Beca, and a vodka and tonic with lime for Chloe. They surveyed the club and scoped out the best viewing spot for when the DJ took the stage and upon doing so, realized they were both ready for another round.

"Okay, shots this time!" Chloe shouted to Beca over the house music that was blaring, Beca just nodded and leaned over to the bartender and requested two shots.

"What are these?" Chloe asked as she pointed to the shots the girl had brought back.

"Snakebites!" Beca exclaimed  
"It's whiskey and lime juice. Just down it, don't think!" And the pair did just that. Beca smacked her lips with satisfaction while Chloe winced at the sour taste.

"Yuckkk, I have no idea how you drink whiskey!" Chloe exclaimed with a look of disgust, which looked absolutely adorable on her. Hell, any look Chloe gives is fucking adorable.

"You want another one? I'll get something different." Beca offered which Chloe immediately agreed to.

Beca caught the bartender's attention and the tattooed blonde immediately grinned and came right over.

"What'll it be, sweetie?" She asked in a flirtatious tone as she leaned over the bar to show off her cleavage, courtesy of her low cut tank top. Beca just smiled at her.

"I don't know…you tell me. My friend over here isn't a fan of whiskey, so another snakebite is a no go. Surprise us." She told her with a wink. Beca was starting to feel a slight buzz and knew all too well that alcohol lowered her inhibitions, especially when it came to flirting with girls she didn't know.

The bartender just eyed Chloe and smirked and came back with two shots.

"Red headed sluts." She said to Beca with a wink. Beca sported an amused look as she paid the bartender, Chloe however was not so amused and mumbled something along the lines of 'Bitch, please' as they downed the fruity shots. It went down a hell of a lot easier than the whiskey for Chloe and she smiled as she once again took Beca's hand in hers.

"C'mon, let's go _over there_." Chloe said in a commanding voice, and Beca just laughed, knowing the snarky bartender had gotten to the older girl.

It wasn't long before the lights dimmed and the house music cut out and the pair made their way to the dance floor as Girl Talk came out and got right down to it, spinning his first track as he hyped up the crowd.  
"Are you ready to party Georgia!?" He screamed. The crowd responded with a loud cheer and the DJ bopped his head and started mixing the most obscure songs as everyone broke out into various dances. It didn't take long for Beca and Chloe to get into it, the alcohol had already taken its effect and the girls were really feeling the scene. Chloe grabbed Beca and pulled her closer as the DJ started mashing "Titanium" with a song from the 70's by Earth, Wind and Fire called "September"

"Becs, this is amazing!" Chloe yelled as she got even closer to Beca and laughed as the track switched to Kanye West's "Lights" and "No Diggity" which Beca rapped along to, of course.

Beca decided right then and there that this must be heaven, because Chloe looked like an absolute angel. She swayed to the music effortlessly and emitted a glow that kept Beca's attention at all times. She decided that tonight would be the night that she told Chloe how she felt.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Super sorry this is so late...I was fully prepared to update it a while ago but someone I knew died in an awful car crash and my friends and I needed some time to appreciate life and celebrate hers. I ended up re-writing this entire chapter because I realized I wanted this chapter to take another direction. Without further delay, here's chapter 8! And thank you for the reviews and all who still read this even though I suck at updating, you guys are still awesome.**

**R AND R!**

The beats were bumping and Beca found herself lost in the combination of music, alcohol, and Chloe Beale. Although she hated dancing, being right up against Chloe's body was worth it. It was the most euphoric moment of her life and Beca made damn sure that she took the time to appreciate all of Chloe's features.

"We need another shot!" Chloe exclaimed tugging Beca's hand and moving towards the bar.

Beca just nodded in agreement, let's be honest, as long as Chloe was holding her hand she was down to do pretty much anything the ginger said.

And that's where Beca made her only mistake of the night.

Chloe handed her the shot of tequila and without thinking twice she threw it back hard. At that point, she probably didn't even notice it was tequila but there are a few good reasons why she never touches tequila. Ever.

"I love this mix!" Beca screamed, pulling Chloe back to the main floor as GirlTalk stared mixing Fleetwood Mac's "Gypsy" with Wild Thang and Push It. Chloe just smiled, throwing her arms around the younger girl's neck and yelling "This is DOPE!"

And that was the last thing Beca remembered.

Through closed eyes, Beca felt a light on her face and slowly opened them only to be greeted by a harsh ray of sunlight. Shutting her eyes tight, she rolled over to escape the intruding light and felt a warm presence next to her. She quickly opened her eyes and saw a bundle of red hair sprawled across a neighboring pillow.

**_Holy shit. I'm in bed with Chloe._**

Beca immediately sat up and looked around and realized they were in Chloe's room at her apartment, which was fine, she just couldn't remember how she had gotten there. Her throat was dry and heavy but she also felt like someone had hit her in the head with a baseball bat. She noted she still had her clothes on which kind of sucked but at least she didn't have sex with Chloe in a state where she wouldn't remember, that would really suck. She felt Chloe stir next to her and looked over to see Chloe's piercing blue eyes staring up at her. Beca winced, feeling herself want to speak but, she didn't even know what words to form at this point.

"Good morning sunshine" Chloe mumbled, receiving an eye roll from Beca

"Chloe…tell me we didn't do a tequila shot last night." Beca stated

"We didn't do a tequila shot last night." Chloe replied as she sat up and faced Beca with a smirk.  
"We did four."

"Ah, I should have told you that Jose and I are not friends…" Beca replied. Chloe got up and hopped over Beca making her way to her mini fridge where she removed two bottles of water. It only took Beca a few seconds to take in Chloe's appearance as she was only wearing a tank top and underwear, her hair slightly tousled, looking as gorgeous as ever.

"Yeah you totes should have told me that. I'm pretty sure you blacked out." She said with a slight giggle as she opened a water bottle and handed it to Beca.

Beca groaned in response.  
"Please tell me I wasn't THAT girl?" She asked as she chugged the cold water that Chloe had given her.

"Well I didn't even really notice at first because I was pretty drunk but once we got back to campus you were pretty sloppy…you kept telling me you had something to tell me…"

"What exactly did I say?" Beca asked in a slight panic.

"You never got around to it. You started puking the second we got to my building." Chloe informed her

A wave of embarrassment surged over Beca. There's nothing worse than puking in front of the girl you like, talk about awkward and disgusting.

"Oh my God..I am so sorry. I'm glad I don't remember it, and please spare me the details, I'm sure you're just as traumatized as I am by it" Beca said as she rubbed her temples.

Chloe just giggled again  
"Don't even worry about it Becs, I've had my fair share of nights like that. Besides, I had fun AND I learned what your kryptonite is so it was an experience. " Chloe teased with a wink

"Of course you find it fun to watch me blackout and puke." Beca shot back sarcastically as she got up and grabbed her boots.  
Chloe playfully shoved her and mimicked her signature eye roll.  
"It was fun being out with you in your element. You're part of this completely different realm of music and I think it's really cool." The redhead complimented

"I'd take that compliment if I hadn't emptied the contents of my stomach outside of your apartment last night." **_…or almost told you I love you_**  
Beca suddenly felt really uncomfortable and her flight senses kicked in.  
"I have to get to the station. I'm supposed to work"

Chloe walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, of course.

"You're crazy. Have a good shift DJ mini." She said with a giggle

Beca shook her head with a smile and returned the hug.  
"Thanks for making sure I didn't die last night, I sorta appreciate it." Beca said dryly

"Shut up, you love the idea of me taking care of you. You probably drank a ton on purpose." Chloe said as the two pulled apart. Beca felt her face flush. **_Yeah, I wouldn't mind you taking care of me everyday_**

"See. You've got me all figured out. And I think I was just trying to keep up with your pace, it's your fault I was small and smashed last night."

Chloe grinned at the younger girl and folded her arms across her chest.  
"So you're saying you can't handle my pace?"

Beca bit her lip to keep from smiling like an idiot but she was pretty sure her face was red enough to indicate such anyways. She grabbed another water from Chloe's mini-fridge and headed for the door.  
"I'll see you at Bella's, Beale. And tell your crazy co-captain to be easy on the cardio today."

"Bye, Becs" She heard along with a slight giggle.

As Beca made her way out of the apartment, she saw Aubrey sitting on the couch with books and notes everywhere.

"Moving in are we little one?" Aubrey asked in an annoyed tone.

"In your dreams, Barbie." Beca responded as she made a swift exit.

Beca made her way across campus as her hangover began to really hit her and swore she was never gonna drink again, which is what she says every time, although it never sticks. Whatever, maybe she just wouldn't drink for a little while then. As she approached her dorm, she decided to shower and get a coffee in an attempt to nurse herself back to normal before Bella's practice that afternoon.

Beca sighed in relief as she welcomed the warm water over her skin. There was nothing better than taking a shower after a night of drinking. She was also relieved that she hadn't drunkenly confessed her feelings to Chloe the night before because that would've been a real shit show, not to mention that's not how she wants to tell the older girl at all. It has to be a perfect moment, which sounds cheesy as fuck and Beca is usually one to shy away from those clichés but she had realized a long time ago that she feels differently about almost everything when it comes to Chloe.

After she had cleansed herself of the remnants of the night before, she toweled off and left the showers, smiling as she realized she was in the same shower that Chloe had jumped her in months ago. She entered her room and was happy to find that Kimmy Jin was occupying her time elsewhere which meant she could blast music without any problems. She quickly flipped on her Pandora and began rummaging for clean clothes to wear.

**_Two dozen pink and white ranunculus  
Why? What are the problems to solve?  
To part time holy bachelors  
Tell them that you want me  
Tell them that you want me_**

Cool  
I'm just trying to be cool  
It's all because of you  
Some fanatic attitude  
We're both on

Beca allowed the music to block out her own thoughts as she focused on getting dressed for Bella's practice and making it through this day. She grabbed her chucks from the floor and slipped them on, knowing that the Nazi would surely inflict cardio on them since it was so close to semi-finals. As she was readying to leave she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She answered with a groan, not even bothering to look at who was calling her.

"Hello?"

"Beca! Finally, you haven't returned any of my calls. What have you been up to?"

**_Fuck, of course the one time I don't screen my call it's him._**

"The usual. Classes, Bella's, and the station." She answered  
"Listen Dad I can't really talk right now…"

"Well when, Beca? We need to talk about you declaring a major incase LA doesn't work out and you come back." He told her sternly.

"Planning for my failure? Cool, Dad."

"It's just in case…"

"I really have to go, I'll see you later."

Beca hung up before he could get another word in. She was already feeling like shit, she didn't need her father to make it any more stressful.

She was out the door in a flash, headphones intact, hell bent on getting a coffee before Bella's practice and her shift. As the afternoon sun hit her face, she pulled her sunglasses on and made her way over to the coffee cart where she grabbed an iced coffee and went to go hide somewhere before she had to endure aca-hell. Although as much as she complained, she really didn't hate it all that much it was just boring because Aubrey doesn't like variety but usually herself, Fat Amy, and Stacie would make smart ass remarks and give each other amusing looks as they performed the lame choreography. And of course it was more time to spend admiring Chloe so she definitely found ways to make the best of it. But it was days like today where she had a "fuck acapella" attitude.

She lit up a cigarette as she sat against a secluded tree and flipped through her IPod, settling on the latest album from the band that was already playing. Closing her eyes, she took a drag and thought of the good moments from the night before. Dancing so close to Chloe and touching her was just enough to put a smile on her face as she felt her headphones lifted out of place and she quickly opened her eyes to see who dared interrupt her.

"Forming a habit, are we?" The bubbly ginger asked as she glared down at Beca.

"More like you just keep showing up on the rare occasion that I decide to light up." She answered honestly.

Chloe chuckled "Yeah, it's funny. I feel like when I'm not usually looking for you, I find you anyways."

If only she had realized what she just said. Beca just smiled in response as she extinguished her cigarette before standing up to meet Chloe's eyes.

"I should probably be on time for practice for once"

"Why break your streak now?" The senior teased

Beca playfully pushed the red head  
"People can change, Beale."

Bella's practice was routine as usual, except this routine went on for 5 hours. They ran up and down the auditorium seats and performed their routine about a hundred times as Aubrey smoothed out the edges and stressed the importance of performing it exactly as she had taught it. Beca often thought about how fun it would be just to fuck with her and do something crazy in the middle of it. The potential look on Aubrey's face was enough to make her smirk evilly, which didn't go unnoticed of course. She was pulled back into the annoying reality that was Bella's practice by the Devil's voice herself.

"Is something amusing Beca?" Aubrey scoffed, interrupting her own speech.

"You always amuse me, Aubrey." She responded with a smart ass grin on her face.

Aubrey seethed and reminded Beca that she'd better take her ear monstrosities out for the semi-finals, though she must've known by now that Beca wouldn't.

Coincidentally (or maybe not so much) Beca's hangover subsided with the end of Bella's practice. She made her way over to the radio station for her four hour shift of stacking CD's, she'd almost always rather be spinning but today she found herself looking forward to just hangout. As soon as she entered the station, Luke and Jesse popped out from their respective places and bombarded her with questions.

"How was GirlTalk?" Luke asked

"More importantly, how'd it go with Chloe?" Jesse inquired

"Please tell me you sealed the deal on that one Becky, it's been a while." Luke said

"GirlTalk was awesome…from what I can really remember. That fake ID was a blessing and a curse. I got blackout and didn't even get anywhere with Chloe, except dancing at the club." Beca sighed out.

"Sounds rough Becky." Luke simply said as he stepped back in the booth

"How much longer are you going to put yourself through this? You should just ambush her and tell her straight out. No more messing around." Jesse suggested as he sorted through numerous piles of CDs

"Yeah that sounds like a great, romantic gesture seeing as how last night she looked after me while I tossed my cookies in front of her building." Beca replied, shaking her head in disgust at her own actions.

Jesse stifled a laugh as he faced the un-amused freshman.

"Okay, look. I hate to break it to ya but, the year is coming to an end. Your time with Chloe is rapidly coming to a standstill so you might as well get it out and see where it goes while there's still time."

"Oh, I think I got plenty out last night." Beca sarcastically deflected, even though she knew Jesse was right. The year was almost over and she was pretty much in the same boat as when it began, though she felt different somehow, like she had really changed. Beca shook it off and Jesse decided to change the subject.

"Are you excited for the semi-finals on Wednesday?" He asked. Beca walked over, rolling up the sleeves of her flannel and picked up a few CDs.

"Uh, not really, we're going to embarrass ourselves with this routine. And what sucks the most is that all Chloe wants is to win this stupid thing and go to the ICCAs since it's her last year and that's definitely not going to happen the way we are now." She explained

Luke appeared from the booth once again to grab a few records. "It sounds like you're really hung up on this chick since you're talking about her happiness and shit." He interjected.

"Yeah, imagine that. Wanting something good for someone other than yourself." She deadpanned as the English boy rolled his eyes.

"I'm making the same point Jesse is. In fact, I suggest you leave and go tell this broad all your feelings before you give yourself an opportunity to fuck up another attempt." Luke told her

"Yeah right. Like I'm really just gonna go pop up at her place and tell her right now." Beca replied sinisterly.

"No, I'm serious. If you don't go and do it right now, I'll fire you Becky."

"What the…you're serious? I'm your best DJ!…no offense Jesse…" Beca stated

Jesse just shrugged. "I agree with Luke. Go!" He urged.

"You guys are ridiculous, there's no way…"  
Before Beca could even finish she was being pushed out by Luke.

"You've been giving me anxiety this entire semester Becky, go do it or I am going to tell her and embarrass the shit out of you." Luke lectured.

"This makes no sense, I can't!" Beca exclaimed

"Well, you have to. You're not allowed back until you do." Luke told her as he closed the door and locked it.  
She shot him her most evil look through the glass and just shook her head and left.

**_There's no way in fucking hell that I can do this right now._**

But as Beca pondered the pros and cons (mostly cons, by the way) she realized that the pros, though there were few, greatly outweighed the cons in terms of life improvement. And at this point, what the fuck did she have to lose except her ego? She was confident that Chloe would be her friend still no matter what. And if things got awkward, at least they were both leaving and wouldn't have to endure said awkwardness for that long. Plus, there was a tiny chance that maybe Chloe reciprocated her feelings, right? Okay, well probably not because it's Chloe freakin Beale, but a girl could hope.

Okay, well what the fuck. Here goes nothing.

As Beca stood outside of Chloe and Aubrey's apartment door she readied herself the best she could. She nervously wiped her palms on her jeans and tugged at her shirt; exhaling a breath she had been holding in an attempt to keep calm. She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up to be a little less exposed, except she was about to expose herself in the biggest way possible so it didn't really make that much sense. She knocked a few times and took a step back, debating whether or not she still had time to run and save herself some humiliation. She could always just lie and tell the guys she did it and everything was fine, but then all of a sudden it was too late and Aubrey was standing in front of her with a confused glare.

"And just what can I do for you, hobbit?" Aubrey asked in an annoyed tone. Beca just rolled her eyes.

"You can't do much for me, as usual. Is Chloe here?" Beca asked, her cocky attitude turning shaky as she said the ginger's name.

"She's in her room, studying." Aubrey replied, moving from the doorway and allowing Beca to enter, which was far from normal because she usually gave Beca any kind of third degree she could. She walked down the hallway to Chloe's room and nervously tapped the door which was slightly ajar.

"Aubrey you never knock…oh, hey Beca, what's up?" Chloe said, slightly surprised to see Beca, obviously.

"Hey. Uh, I didn't mean to interrupt you…I can just go." Beca said as she ran her hand through her hair nervously and started to leave.

"Don't be silly, you're a welcomed interruption, always. What's on your mind?" Chloe beamed as she closed her book and stood up from her bed. The older girl had been sprawled out on her bed, hair tied in a messy bun, sporting BU sweat pants and a tank top. She wasn't wearing any make-up and she looked absolutely stunning. If Beca had tried to pull of that look, she would surely fail, and she suddenly began to wonder how the fuck she got here and how this was actually happening.

"Umm…" was all Beca could seem to respond with. She fidgeted nervously, not exactly sure where to begin. She had been so busy being concerned about when she was going to tell Chloe that she hadn't exactly rehearsed anything to say. Fuck this was a really bad idea.  
"You're listening to my mix?" Beca stammered out as she realized the familiar songs.

"I always listen to your mix when I study, I love it." Chloe gushed.

"I'll have to make you another one…this one's a couple months old now." The brunette gestured to the stereo.

"I'm not tired of it…it's my favorite." Chloe told her with a smile  
"What's wrong, Becs? You seem off…" The redhead said as she moved closer to the brunette with concern.  
"Did something happen? Is it your dad?"

"No, nothing happened. Nothing like that." Beca told her, feeling her body heat rise as Chloe got closer.

"Oh. Well, out with it. You know you can tell me anything." She told the DJ as she lightly grabbed her shoulders and gave her a little shake.

Chloe was just inches from Beca right now. Normally she was good at suppressing her urges to jump the older girl in a fiery kiss but she found her eyes focused on Chloe's perfectly luscious lips as her face was plastered with that beaming smile and adorable look. Why did Chloe have to be so beautiful and inviting?

Before Beca herself could even register what was happening her lips were pressed against Chloe's and her hands were lightly gripping the older girl's waist. She was surprised as she felt Chloe return the kiss and move her hands to lock them behind Beca's neck. The kiss was electric, and Beca felt it all throughout her body like a sonic boom to her entire system. She broke away as she felt her need for oxygen eclipse her thoughts and opened her eyes to a pair of blue orbs darting back and forth. Chloe's arms were still locked around Beca's neck as she bit her lower lip and looked to the younger girl for some sort of explanation.

"I'm sorry." Beca blurted out, super embarrassed and slightly remorseful.  
"No. Wait. I'm really not. I've wanted to do that for a while…I uh, it's just. Fuck. Okay well you see, I like you, I mean obviously I like you, and I just kissed you! But, I've liked you for a while. It's actually worse because I've sort of actually fallen for you and I don't let myself do that, like ever. But I couldn't help it with you…you slammed through my walls and made me talk to you. Normally I'd just be an asshole to anyone who tried that shit, but I always felt bad whenever I gave you any kind of attitude…but you, you just barged into my shower and pulled me into your world and wouldn't take no for an answer when I tried to close myself off from you. And I tried to fight it because I don't want to ruin our friendship, you're like the closest thing I've had to a real best friend in the longest time, but I couldn't let this year end without letting you know that you got through to me and changed me."

Chloe just stared at her with wide eyes that slowly turned to a smile as Beca rambled on about her feelings, showing the most vulnerable side of her that either of them had seen.

"Beca…" Chloe said, barely above a whisper as she removed her arms from Beca and looked down.

"I suck, I know my timing is off and that you don't feel anything that I do but…" Beca began to explain her actions in an attempt to salvage any of what she had previously had with Chloe.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Chloe asked with a saddened tone.

Beca scoffed.  
"Do you have any idea who you are? You're Chloe Beale. Alt-misfit girls like me do NOT profess their feelings to girls like you. No, we hideaway and make mixes and obsess in private."

**_Ugh, did I really just fuckin admit that I obsess over her?_**

"Obsess, huh?" Chloe asked with an amused look.

"I'm sure whatever you're thinking in your head is really far from the truth." Beca said, trying to save some of her bad ass rep as much as she could.

"You can't be snarky with me, you just confessed your feelings and kissed me!" Chloe teased

Beca shook her head.  
"This was such a bad idea." She said, her face once again washed with embarrassment.

"No…it wasn't. I know how you feel…I like that. And I like you too…and I'm sorry for that." Chloe told her, suddenly seeming sad.

"What? Why are you sorry?" Beca asked, bewildered at the ginger's confession.

"I..We have no time Beca. We're leaving this place in two months. Nothing could happen. It would just be too heartbreaking to get closer and have to leave. It's already hard just thinking about leaving as friends never mind, well, more." Chloe told her.

Beca couldn't believe what she was hearing. The ever so optimistic bubbly ginger was telling her that she liked her just as much as she did but it wasn't worth it.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Beca said in disbelief as she stared at Chloe with raised eyebrows.

"Becs, please don't be mad…I just think it's for the best. I'd never hurt you, you know that. I can't bear to think of how much it'd suck leaving here, and God forbid, us breaking up or even worse, being in a long distance relationship on opposite coasts and being miserable."

"Is that why you broke it off with Tom?" The younger girl asked bitterly.

Chloe shifted uncomfortably, "Well, yeah. And because I wanted to spend the rest of my time with you and the Bellas and not in some meaningless relationship."

Beca just stared at the older girl. She couldn't form any words. She just stood there with her jaw slightly agape trying to grasp whatever Chloe's reasons were, yet she really didn't get it at all.

"I'm sorry Beca, please believe me." Chloe pleaded as she reached out to touch the younger girl. Beca shook her head and backed away.

"No. Don't be. It's for the best." Beca replied sadly, as she turned and left Chloe's room.

"Beca, wait!" She heard as she slammed the door and walked down the hallway

"Great, what did you do now Beca?" Aubrey asked from the living room with her arms crossed

"Fuck off." Beca replied simply as she left, fully intending to never return again.

**Song Credit: Pheonix- Trying To Be Cool**


End file.
